A former federal watchdog said on Tuesday that President Donald Trump sent a "disconcerting" signal after removing the inspector general from the federal Import-Export Bank.
The New York Times reported on Tuesday that IEB Inspector General Parisa Salehi was dismissed from her job last week, citing two sources familiar with the matter. The outlet reported that the Trump administration told Salehi that her dismissal was due to the administration's "changing priorities."
Mark Greenblatt, the former inspector general for the Interior Department who was fired by Trump in January, told the outlet that her termination was "disconcerting."
“Parisa Salehi is very well respected in the inspector general and oversight community. She is exactly what the American people should want, conducting fair, objective, independent oversight,” Greenblatt told the outlet.
“The fact that her firing is coming right on the heels of the confirmation of a new head of the bank is disconcerting because it suggests that they want to bring in a lap dog into this position,” he added. “The timing certainly sends up a red flag, in my view.”
The move also appeared to spark some backlash from Republicans in Congress, the Times reported.
“Pres Trump takes an oath to uphold the constitution & the laws but he hasnt told Congress he was firing the Ex-Im Inspector General,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) wrote on social media, according to the report. “The law says POTUS has to specifically inform Congress abt IG firings and unless the courts say otherwise thats still the law.”
