Trump Fires Usaid’s Inspector General After Report Critical Of Funding Freeze

The Trump administration fired the inspector general of the U.S. Agency for International Development on Tuesday — a day after he put out a report criticizing the foreign aid freeze, a USAID official and a former State Department official said.

Paul Martin is the latest of some 20 inspectors general that President Donald Trump has ousted, despite objections from lawmakers and the watchdogs themselves that his methods of removing them violate statutes.

In an early Tuesday evening email, a copy of which was seen by POLITICO, a White House official informed Martin that his position was “terminated, effective immediately.”

Martin’s dismissal comes after his office released a report on Monday saying the Trump administration’s recent spending freeze on foreign aid and efforts to cut USAID’s staffing had made it harder to ensure billions in U.S. funding was being spent properly.

The USAID official and former State Department official were granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive personnel issue. CNN earlier reported the firing.

Spokespersons for the State Department, USAID, the National Security Council and the USAID inspector general’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Inspectors general run offices that investigate government activities and spending — a method of oversight designed to prevent waste, fraud and abuse.