"One of 17 government watchdogs ousted by President Trump said that the move was “a potentially existential threat” to a crucial government oversight tool.

“I view it as a potentially existential threat, with respect to the main oversight mechanism that we have in our federal government system,” Mark Greenblatt, the former top watchdog at the Interior Department, told The Hill on Tuesday.

Ultimately, Greenblatt said, what the impact of the firings of the watchdogs comes down to is “who President Trump nominates and appoints in these inspector general positions.”

“It all boils down to their independence: are they going to be independent of mind and spirit,” he added."

Rachel Frazin reports for The Hill January 28, 2025. [2]