US President Donald Trump "has the power to fire anyone" within the federal government, the White House said Tuesday amid an ongoing wave of dismissals that has seen dozens of career civil servants lose their jobs, APA reports citing foreign media.
"It is the belief of this White House and the White House Counsel's Office that the president was within his executive authority to do that. He is the executive of the executive branch, and therefore he has the power to fire anyone within the executive branch that he wishes to," spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters in her White House debut.
The comments come after Trump ordered the dismissal of federal staffers from across government agencies, including the mass dismissals of what multiple reports said was at least 18 inspectors general (IGs) on Friday. Several prosecutors who worked on cases against Trump, including those who served in special counsel Jack Smith's office, have also been fired.
Hannibal Ware, the chairperson of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, slammed the abrupt dismissals of the government watchdogs, saying "removals inconsistent with the law are a significant threat to the actual and perceived independence of IGs."
He pointed to a 2022 amendment to the law that established the government watchdogs. The amendment specified that the inspectors must be given 30 days notice before they are terminated, and must be provided with "substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons” for their firings.
"IGs are not immune from removal. However, the law must be followed to protect independent government oversight for America," Ware said in a statement.
Asked if the White House is confident it will emerge victorious in any legal challenges to the dismissals, Leavitt said "we will win in court."
