In an email to colleagues on Saturday, reviewed by Reuters, she said the independent Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency “has taken the position that these termination notices do not comply with the requirements set out in law and therefore are not effective at this time.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture responded on Wednesday to reports claiming the agency’s former inspector general was forcibly removed from her office after resisting her dismissal from the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump’s firing of over a dozen nonpartisan watchdogs appointed to guard against waste, fraud and abuse of power across federal agencies has sparked concern among government ethics experts and congressional leaders in both major parties.