Graham defends purge of inspectors general, but says Trump ‘should have’ told Congress first

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) defended President Trump’s decision to oust more than a dozen inspectors general in a late-night shake-up of the federal government.

He conceded, however, that Trump should have notified Congress of his decision 30 days before taking such action, as outlined by the law.

"Yeah, he should have done that," Graham said in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union" when asked about the law dictating notification of Congress 30 days before.

“But the question is, is it okay for him to put people in place that he thinks can carry out his agenda? Yeah. He won the election. What do you expect him to do? Just leave everybody in place in Washington before he got elected?” Graham said.

“This makes perfect sense to me,” he continued. “Get new people. He feels like the government hasn't worked very well for the American people. These folks did a pretty lousy job. He wants some new eyes on Washington. That makes sense to me.”

“He wants to put people in place, including inspector generals, that can implement his agenda,” Graham said, adding, “So that's just the way it goes when you win an election.”

In an interview on NBC News’s “Meet the Press,” Graham noted that Trump “technically” broke the law requiring the president to give a 30-day notice to Congress before firing the IGs.

Trump fired at least 17 watchdogs at various agencies within the Defense Department, State Department, Energy Department, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and others. Those within the Pentagon, State Department and Transportation Department were notified of the termination over email, according to the Washington Post, which was the first to report on the firings.

Updated at 11:24 a.m. EDT

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