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After the Watergate scandal of the 1970s, Congress carried out a series of reforms that included strengthening federal watchdogs and creating new agencies like the Office of Inspector General (OIG), the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, and the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. But according to NOTUS, President Donald Trump is greatly undermining that post-Watergate system during his second presidency.

Reporting for NOTUS, journalists Natalie Alms and Eric Katz explain, "The once-independent system that Congress established after Watergate has radically transformed in Trump's second term. Trump's unprecedented firing of nearly 20 inspectors general has unraveled the firewalls government's ombudsmen have operated under for decades.

The new watchdogs are erasing the lines between agency leadership and their own watchdog offices, Office of Inspector General employees told NOTUS, openly suggesting they should work hand-in-glove with the Trump administration to advance its goals…. Trump has installed former political appointees from the same agencies they're now overseeing, a co-author of Project 2025, and a Republican congressman into watchdog roles across the government."

Alms and Katz add, "Those IGs have boosted the president and his appointees in ways that directly contravene the statutory independence of their offices, 11 current and former staffers told NOTUS."

One of the interviewees for their article was a senior OIG official.

Interviewed on condition of anonymity, the official told NOTUS, "All the adults have left the room. All these new IGs are lining up behind political leadership as if they're lapdogs."

The official noted that remaining officials in watchdog agencies are "scared to death to do anything," adding, "So for the most part, they're just sitting on their hands trying to lay low."

Alms and Katz point to recent events with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as an example of how much the federal watchdog system is changing under Trump. VA Inspector General Cheryl L. Mason, according to NOTUS sources, held up a move to new office space so that she could have a private bathroom in her office — which, Alms and Katz note, is the "kind of potentially pricey request that government watchdogs typically investigate."

An employee of the VA IG's office, interviewed on condition of anonymity, told NOTUS, "It's been incredibly challenging to continue doing the work we're doing." And another employee, also quoted anonymously, said, "She wanted to make sure the message of everything we did was part of every agreement, promise or whatever she had with the secretary. If you believe in independent oversight, that's not what we were doing."

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COI tag (September 2022)

Latest comment: 3 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

During recent revisions/edits, it was noted that the article's namesake has made several edits to the page from variying IP addresses (see below). This is known, based on her edit here, which included adding honorifics to the infobox title after it was removed, per Manual of Style on honorifics. Once it was reverted twice, and in order to prevent the edit war, I decided tagging the article and allowing additional neutral editors to come in and review.

IPs identified as linked:

Respectfully yours, KevCor360 (lets talk) 16:20, 22 September 2022 (UTC)

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Cheryl Lee Mason[1] is an American attorney and Inspector General for the Department of Veterans Affairs appointed by President Donald Trump.

First Trump administration

From November 2017 until August 2022, she served as the fourth Senate-confirmed first woman and military spouse Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals.[2] In 2020, she was named a PREVENTS Task Force Ambassador, Along with Lead Ambassador Second Lady Karen Pence. PREVENTS was the first national public health campaign to address suicide prevention. Previously Mason served as Deputy Vice Chairman, Chief Veterans Law Judge, and Veterans Law Judge at the Board.

Second Trump administration

Mason was nominated for Assistant Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs for Accountability and Whistleblower Protection[3] on March 10, 2025. The nomination was withdrawn on May 6, 2025. On the same day, Mason was nominated for Inspector General of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.[4] The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC) held a hearing on the nomination on June 4, 2025 and subsequently favorably reported on the nomination on June 11, 2025. The Senate invoked cloture and confirmed the nomination on July 31, 2025. She Assumed Office on August 4, 2025.

Early life and education

A graduate of Ohio Northern University and Creighton University School of Law, Mason served as an intern for U.S. Representative Bob McEwen. After law school, she worked in private practice in Omaha, Nebraska. Mason became a paralegal coordinator for Central Texas College and an instructor at Central Texas College's branch at Kaiserslautern Military Community in Germany. She was an attorney with the Federal Labor Relations Authority and was a Department of the Air Force (DAF) Civilian with the United States Air Forces in Europe at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Mason also served as a contract attorney investigator for the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division specializing in the Americans with Disabilities Act.[5]

Awards and honors

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Cheryl L. Mason

American lawyer

Cheryl Lee Mason is an American attorney and Inspector General for the Department of Veterans Affairs appointed by President Donald Trump. Continued in Wikipedia

Source: Wikipedia

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vaoig.gov

https://www.vaoig.gov › about-us › Inspector-General

Cheryl L. Mason - Inspector General - Department of Veterans Affairs

The Honorable Cheryl L. Mason was confirmed by the Senate as the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on July 31, 2025. She was sworn in on August 4, 2025. Inspector General Mason leads more than 900 agents/investigators, inspectors, auditors, healthcare professionals, data analysts, attorneys, and other professionals across the nation who collaborate to carry out the ...

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

https://department.va.gov › staff-biographies › cheryl-l-mason

Cheryl L. Mason - U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Sep 18, 2025The Honorable Cheryl L. Mason was confirmed by the Senate as the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on July 31, 2025. She was sworn in on August 4, 2025. Inspector General Mason guides a staff of more than 1,000 investigators, inspectors, auditors, healthcare professionals, data analysts, attorneys, and other personnel across the nation with a broad range of expertise ...

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Cheryl_L._Mason

Cheryl L. Mason - Wikipedia

On the same day, Mason was nominated for Inspector General of the Department of Veterans' Affairs. [4] The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC) held a hearing on the nomination on June 4, 2025 and subsequently favorably reported on the nomination on June 11, 2025. The Senate invoked cloture and confirmed the nomination on July 31, 2025.

vaoig.gov

https://vaoig.gov › sites › default › files › document › 2025-08 › Inspector General Mason Press Release.pdf

News Release - vaoig.gov

Cheryl L. Mason Confirmed as Inspector General for the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General WASHINGTON - The Honorable Cheryl L. Mason was confirmed by the Senate as the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on July 31, 2025. She was sworn in on August 4, 2025.

content.govdelivery.com

https://content.govdelivery.com › accounts › USVAOIG › bulletins › 3ec95e2

Cheryl L. Mason Confirmed as VA's Inspector General

Aug 5, 2025The Honorable Cheryl L. Mason was confirmed by the Senate as the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on July 31, 2025. She was sworn in on August 4, 2025.

Military.com

https://www.military.com › daily-news › 2025 › 07 › 31 › senate-confirms-former-chair-of-veterans-appeals-board-va-inspector-general.html

Senate Confirms Former Chair of Veterans Appeals Board as VA Inspector ...

Jul 31, 2025Senate Confirms Former Chair of Veterans Appeals Board as VA Inspector General Cheryl Mason, a career attorney and military spouse whose brother and father were veterans, was approved in a 53-45 vote.

milspousechamber.org

https://milspousechamber.org › blog-cheryl-mason

Cheryl Mason | United States Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce

Jul 31, 2025Cheryl L. Mason's confirmation as VA Inspector General is a moment of both hope and high expectations. Her career blends legal expertise, public service, veteran advocacy, and personal ties to the military community—all converging at a pivotal point for veteran oversight.

GovExec.com

https://www.govexec.com › oversight › 2026 › 03 › inspector-general-group-be-led-former-trump-administration-adviser › 412371

Inspector general group to be led by former Trump administration ...

Mar 25, 2026Inspector general group to be led by former Trump administration adviser A government oversight organization said that the selection of Cheryl Mason, who is the inspector general for the Veterans ...

IGnet

https://www.ignet.gov › content › department-veterans-affairs

Department of Veterans Affairs - Office of Inspector General

The Honorable Cheryl Mason, Inspector General (202) 461-4720 810 Vermont Avenue, N.W.; Washington, D.C. 20420 Hotline Number:

IGnet

https://www.ignet.gov › sites › default › files › files › CIGIE-Chair-Election-3_24_2026.pdf

For Immediate Release Contact: Andrew Cannarsa Washington, DC (202) 292 ...

Mar 24, 2026The Honorable Cheryl L. Mason Elected Chairperson of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) has elected the Honorable Cheryl L. Mason, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of

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