According to a review by American Ledger, President Trump has, to date, refused to hire six Inspectors General throughout his administration who are tasked with overseeing the complaints of whistleblowers that come forward with allegations of wrongdoing against the federal government.
In January, a whistleblower in Health and Human Services alleged over a dozen workers were discharged without proper training and proper equipment into a coronavirus hot zone to receive the first Americans evacuated from Wuhan, China.
The absence of an inspector general at the agency to oversee the complaint, and provide federally mandated protections, however, has potentially put more American lives in danger in the face of a looming public health crisis. The whistleblower was later reassigned and filed a complaint with the Office of Special Counsel alleging improper removal.
In total, there are six current vacancies for whistleblowers in the Departments of Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security and Housing and Urban Development that have not been hired by the president.
Inspectors Generals throughout the executive branch provide critical oversight authority with a specific focus on preventing corruption and wrongdoing in the federal government. The vacancies raise the likelihood that the president is intentionally not hiring these positions to hide potential incriminating activity within his administration.
Trump’s refusal to hire these positions come after his public retaliation against the whistleblower whose complaint initially launched the investigation into his abuse of power in asking the Ukranian Government to investigate an American citizen for his political gain.
As a result, the president was impeached by the House of Representatives and convicted by a bipartisan vote in the United States Senate, becoming the only president in U.S. history to achieve this rare accomplishment.
With more and more coronavirus cases being reported in the United States and abroad, President Trump’s continued failures to adequately manage and staff the federal government, including key leadership positions like Inspectors General, are likely to come under increased scrutiny. Read more here.
Published: Mar 4, 2020 | Last Modified: May 13, 2020