President Trump fired National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman last week. The White House says he drank on the job, harassed staff, skipped meetings, and wasted government resources. Inman calls it a "political hit job."
The move strips from the NTSB a board member who served as the on-scene spokesperson after the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster in years, the January 29, 2025, mid-air collision near Reagan National Airport that killed 67 people.
Trump spokesman Kush Desai laid out the case bluntly. As Breitbart reported:
"The White House lawfully removed Todd Inman from the NTSB after receiving highly concerning reports of inappropriate alcohol use on the job, harassment of staff, misuse of government resources, and failure to attend at least half of NTSB meetings."
That last detail, missing at least half of board meetings, adds a dimension beyond personal misconduct. If true, it raises questions about whether Inman was doing the job at all.
The White House did not comment further on specifics.
Inman denied every charge. He told reporters:
"I categorically deny the false allegations made in the White House statement."
He went further, framing the firing as retaliation. Newsmax reported that Inman called the action politically motivated and said he plans to fight back legally.
"It has become increasingly obvious this action was a political hit job. While not my original intent I look forward to defending my reputation against those responsible with every legal means possible."
He offered no evidence for the retaliation claim. He did not explain what political motive the White House would have.
Inman is a Republican. Former President Joe Biden selected him in 2024 to fill a Republican seat on the five-member board, where only three members can belong to the same party. His term was set to expire at the end of next year.
Before the NTSB, Inman served as chief of staff at the Department of Transportation during Trump's first term. He later worked in Florida state government and government public relations.
That first-term service makes the "political hit job" claim harder to sustain. Trump's team already knew Inman. They had worked with him.
On January 29, 2025, just days after Trump's inauguration, a helicopter and an American Airlines plane collided in DCA's airspace. The crash killed all 67 people involved:
Inman was the board member on duty that night. He responded first and became the NTSB's public face during the investigation. He was known as a forceful interrogator during hearings, and he claimed FAA officials may have missed warnings before the crash.
That aggressive posture may explain why some see the firing as suspicious. But aggressive questioning alone does not shield an official from accountability for personal conduct.
Inman's removal is not isolated. Trump fired NTSB vice chairman Alvin Brown in May 2025. Brown is now suing to get his job back. As Newsmax noted, the NTSB website showed only three members remaining on its five-person board after these departures.
The administration has moved decisively on personnel across the government. Trump fired a court-appointed interim U.S. attorney hours after the appointment. Kash Patel fired at least ten FBI employees tied to the Mar-a-Lago search. The message is consistent: perform or leave.
A pending Supreme Court case challenges Trump's authority to fire members of independent federal commissions and boards without cause. That legal question hangs over both the Inman and Brown removals.
Meanwhile, the Senate confirmed John DeLeeuw, a longtime American Airlines executive, to an NTSB seat on February 25. That confirmation keeps the board functional, though still below full strength. The Washington Examiner reported that Inman was nearly two years into a five-year term when he was removed.
Two questions drive this story forward. First: did Inman actually drink on the job, harass employees, and skip half his meetings? If yes, the firing is not just justified, it was overdue. No one investigating the deaths of 67 Americans should be impaired at work.
Second: will courts let the removal stand? The Supreme Court case on independent-board firings could reshape the president's authority over agencies like the NTSB. Inman's legal fight, if he follows through, will test those boundaries.
Inman says he wants the NTSB to remain "unimpeded by political or personal agendas." Fair enough. But an investigator accused of drinking on duty and ducking meetings has no standing to lecture anyone about professionalism.
Accountability is not a political hit job. It's the minimum the public deserves.
