The Justice Department’s internal watchdog lost a crucial account from a whistle-blower detailing wrongdoing by political appointees for more than two months, prompting criticism that the agency’s inspector general has been inactive and silent during a time of deep turmoil.
The information follows revelations from two other Justice Department whistleblowers who have said that Bove told subordinates in a meeting in March that they may need to ignore court orders that would hamper Trump’s campaign to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.
In this installment of our politics series, “If You Can Keep It,” we discuss weakening whistleblower protections under President Trump and what this means for those who rely on the information they share.
Another whistleblower has made claims to the Justice Department’s watchdog that Emil Bove — a top agency official who is now nominated for a judgeship — suggested others in the department could ignore court orders during a contentious legal battle in an immigration case.
The Government Accountability Project watchdog group that helped Kroutil document his concerns questioned why the Inspector General didn’t look into other aspects like Kroutil’s concerns that the plane’s sensors were intentionally shut off over the creeks around East Palestine and that the final report on the flights was changed to overlook the incomplete data that was generated in just two flights before the plane was sent home.
Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released its report on its investigation into the Airborne Spectral Photometric Environmental Collection Technology (ASPECT) missions, policies, procedures, and quality assurance. On July 17, 2024, EPA opened its initial investigation into the ASPECT flight mission over East Palestine, Ohio, following the toxic derailment in February 2023 and whistleblower disclosure from former ASPECT data quality manager and creator of the ASPECT software, Dr. Robert Kroutil.
On Jan. 24, 2025, President Donald Trump dismissed inspectors general (IGs) from 17 key federal agencies in an unprecedented move that has raised serious questions about government accountability. These IGs serve as independent watchdogs tasked with overseeing federal operations, ensuring transparency, and protecting taxpayer dollars from fraud, waste and mismanagement.
On Jan. 24, 2025, President Donald Trump dismissed inspectors general (IGs) from 17 key federal agencies in an unprecedented move that has raised serious questions about government accountability. These IGs serve as independent watchdogs tasked with overseeing federal operations, ensuring transparency, and protecting taxpayer dollars from fraud, waste and mismanagement.
In a late-night email on January 25, President Trump unlawfully fired 17 independent Inspector Generals (IG) from agencies including the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, and State Department, with an additional firing of the US Agency for International Development Office of Inspector General (OIG) weeks later. The event was dubbed by the media as the “Midnight Purge.”
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the reinstatement, at least temporarily, of the Biden-appointed chair of the federal board that hears appeals of disciplinary actions against federal employees, ruling that the Trump administration had not articulated adequate grounds for her removal.
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