Iowa U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley says he'll block two of President Trump's nominees until the the administration provides "adequate reasons" for firing the inspectors general.
Grassley has stepped up his conflict with the administration over whistle-blowers after White House counsel Pat Cipollone failed to explain the firings and instead emphasized the President's authority to do so.
Last month, Grassley had asked for a reason for the firing of State Department Inspector General Steve Linick and Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson.
His move to block the new nominees is a departure for Grassley, who has mostly been a strong supporter of President Trump.
The function of inspectors general is to expose corruption, fraud and abuse in government agencies.
Grassley said he "will not consider the nomination of Marshall Billingslea to be the undersecretary for arms control and international security at the State Department until sufficient reasons are provided for the termination of State Department Inspector General Steve Linick."
He also said he "will not consider the nomination of Christopher C. Miller to be the director of the National Counterterrorism Center until the White House explains why Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson was terminated."
Grassley has been a longtime defender of whistle-blowers and government oversight