Key points
- White House gives no reason for firing of Inspector General Paul Martin
- Trump’s administration earlier purged over a dozen inspectors general
- Trump, Musk say its work is out of line with the president’s agenda
WASHINGTON: The White House has fired the inspector general for the US Agency for International Development (USAID), US officials said.
According to AP, the White House gave no reason for the firing of Inspector General Paul Martin, one of the officials said. The officials were familiar with the dismissal but not authorized to comment publicly, and spoke on condition of anonymity, AP reported.
The development comes a day after his office warned that the Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID had made it all but impossible to monitor $8.2 billion in unspent humanitarian funds.
Inspectors general are typically independently funded watchdogs attached to government agencies and tasked with rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse, US media reported. The Trump administration earlier purged more than a dozen inspectors general.
“Largely non-operational”
On Monday, Martin’s office issued a flash report warning that the Trump administration’s freeze on all foreign assistance and moves to cut USAID staff had left oversight of the humanitarian aid “largely non-operational.”
That includes the agency’s ability to ensure none of the funding falls into the hands of violent extremist groups or goes astray in conflict zones, the watchdog said.
The dismissal, which was first reported by CNN, is the latest action by the Trump administration affecting the aid agency, including efforts to pull all but a fraction of its staffers worldwide off the job. Trump and ally Elon Musk say its work is out of line with the president’s agenda.
