US lawmakers slam Trump’s firing of watchdog investigating Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao
- Mitch Behm was investigating whether Chao had given preferential treatment to the state of Kentucky, which her husband represents in the Senate
- Behm’s removal ‘is the latest in a series of politically motivated firings of inspectors general by President Trump’, Democrat lawmakers wrote
The Democratic chairs of three House panels on Tuesday demanded that Mitch Behm be reinstated immediately as acting inspector general.
The lawmakers also demanded that the Trump administration turn over information about current investigations that might have played a role in Behm’s removal, including a review of whether Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has given preferential treatment to Kentucky. Her husband, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican and a top Trump ally, is seeking re-election this year.
Behm’s removal “is the latest in a series of politically motivated firings of inspectors general by President Trump,’’ the lawmakers wrote. “This assault on the integrity and independence of inspectors general appears to be an intentional campaign to undermine their ability to expose corruption and protect taxpayer dollars from waste, fraud and abuse.”
The letter was signed by Representative Peter DeFazio of Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation Committee; Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney of New York; and Virginia Representative Gerald Connolly, who also leads an oversight subcommittee.