Earlier quoted context omitted.
> But at that mechanistic level, so does the President. He isn’t personally escorting her out of the office. Fair enough, I strongly hope a good number of folks within the government show a backbone and resist unlawful or abusive orders however they can. Unfortunately those same people can easily be fired and replaced with somebody appropriately loyal (as is already happening). So, unfortunately, I'm not terribly opt…
> resist unlawful or abusive orders These firings don’t appear to be unlawful or abusive. They’re sloppy. But he has the power to fire them.
> The removal procedure for presidentially appointed IGs is found in Title 5, Section 403(b), which reads in part An Inspector General may be removed from office by the President. If an Inspector General is removed from office or is transferred to another position or location within an establishment, the President shall communicate in writing the substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons for any such removal or transfer to both Houses of Congress (including the appropriate congressional committees), not later than 30 days before the removal or transfer. Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit a personnel action otherwise authorized by law, other than transfer or removal.
So it's illegal because he didn't notify Congress in advance. That statute was enacted in 2022 specifically to prevent abuses of power such as this.