USDA inspector general refuses to leave office after firing, escorted out by security: report

The inspector general of the US Department of Agriculture was reportedly escorted out of her office by security agents on Monday after she refused to comply with her firing by the Trump administration.

Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that Phyllis Fong told her colleagues earlier that she intended to stay despite the White House terminating her on Friday, and that she didn’t believe the Trump administration had followed proper protocols.

Fong, a 22-year veteran of the department, said in an email sent to colleagues on Saturday that the independent Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency "has taken the position that these termination notices do not comply with the requirements set out in law and therefore are not effective at this time."

Fong was among 17 federal watchdogs fired by Trump on Friday. On Air Force One, Trump told reporters on the firings, "it’s a very common thing to do." The inspectors general were informed of their terminations via an email from the White House, which cited "changing priorities" as the reason.

The White House said of the firings of the inspectors general, "these rogue, partisan bureaucrats... have been relieved of their duties in order to make room for qualified individuals who will uphold the rule of law and protect Democracy."

The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency sent a letter to the White House on Friday claiming that the dismissals appeared to violate federal law. Other critics have argued that the firings violated a federal law that requires a 30-day notice be given to Congress.