The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s inspector general was forced to leave her office on Monday by security guards after she disobeyed the Trump Administration’s decision to fire her.
According to Reuters, which broke the story, Phyllis Fong, a 22-year veteran of the agency, told her coworkers that she planned to remain after President Trump sacked 17 inspector generals at various government agencies on Friday.
Fong expressed to her colleagues that she didn’t think Trump had fired her in accordance with the correct procedures.
The independent Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency has taken the stance that these termination notifications do not meet the legal standards and are thus not effective at this time, she stated in an email issued on Saturday.
White House officials have defended the dismissals, stating that these politicized, rogue bureaucrats have been relieved of their responsibilities to provide space for capable people who would defend democracy and the rule of law.
The USDA Inspector General handles food safety, Agriculture Department audits and investigations, and animal welfare law infractions. One of the primary organizations addressing the avian flu outbreak that has spread to cattle and poultry is the USDA. The illness has claimed the life of one individual in Louisiana.
Due to allegations of animal welfare violations, the office launched an investigation against Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain implant business, in 2022. Following the Boar’s Head listeria epidemic, Fong also looked into the agency.
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