President Trump’s mass firing of 17 inspectors general late Friday flouted the law and sparked widespread condemnation from those who see it as an effort to block oversight of his administration.

The removals topple those responsible for providing an independent check on agencies and an avenue where whistleblowers can report wrongdoing — with Trump even targeting some who were his own nominees during his first administration.

It was a move that figures on both sides of the aisle have said violates the law — even as Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) was mocked for describing the dismissals as “technically” illegal.

“We're looking at what amounts to a threat to democracy, a threat to independent oversight, and a threat to transparency in government. This is — the statute isn't just a technicality. It's a key protection of IG independence is what it is,” Mike Ware, who was fired from his role as inspector general of the Small Business Administration, said during an appearance on MSNBC.

Trump fired multiple inspectors during his first term in office, removing the inspector general for the intelligence community amid the events that sparked his first impeachment and another set to oversee COVID relief.

That pushed Congress in 2022 to update the Inspector General Act, requiring 30 days' notice to Congress as well as laying out the rationale behind removals.

What some called Trump’s “Friday Night Massacre” complied with neither requirement.

Inspectors general received an email Friday night alerting them of their removal, with Mark Greenblatt, whom Trump nominated as inspector general for the Department of Interior, saying his email was swiftly disabled, leaving unclear when he can collect his things.

The ousted watchdogs came from the Defense Department, State Department, Energy Department, Department of Housing and........

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