Trump's firings of the Senate-confirmed inspectors general included officials at Defense, State, Transportation, Labor, Health and Human Services, and EPA among others.

Many inspector general offices will be headed by acting leaders in the interim, which could weaken the effectiveness of their oversight.

The full scope of the Friday night mass firings was coming into sharper view as one fired watchdog official warned of “a never-ending cycle of politicization.”

Several key U.S. Senate Republicans on Sunday defended President Donald Trump'sdecision to fire independent government watchdogs across at least 17 federal agencies, even though the move ran afoul of federal law.

The White House defied a law that requires giving Congress 30 days’ notice and detailed reasons before removing the watchdog officials.

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has fired about 17 independent inspectors general at government agencies, a sweeping action to remove oversight of his new administration that some members of Congress are suggesting violated federal oversight laws.

A former inspector general claimed on MSNBC that President Donald Trump's mass firing of 17 federal watchdogs on Friday constitutes a "threat to democracy."

President Donald Trump fired more than a dozen inspectors general across the federal government apparently without giving Congress the required notice and reasons, providing an early test for a recently formed caucus aimed at protecting agency watchdogs.

In his first TV interview since being fired by President Trump, former Inspector General for Small Business Administration Mike Ware joins Ana Cabrera to speak out about his concerns for the government and the lack of transparency.