Hampton Dellinger, the head of the Office of Special Counsel, recommended pausing the mass firings of some probationary federal employees.

Hampton Dellinger, the head of the independent Office of Special Counsel whom President Donald Trump has tried to oust but a judge has temporarily kept in place, said the firings are likely illegal

A government watchdog special counsel who oversees federal workers' whistleblower reports said Monday his office is seeking to halt some of the Trump administration's mass firings of federal workers.

A federal watchdog indicated that he is examining the broader legality of the mass terminations that have rippled through the federal government.

The Trump administration violated federal law by firing six federal employees on probationary status, a government oversight agency determined in cases that could play a role in challenges to widespread civil servant terminations.

The federal government ethics watchdog whose attempted firing by President Donald Trump has been temporarily blocked, has ruled that the firings of some “probationary” federal employees may violate federal law.