President-elect Donald J. Trump has moved to install loyalists in jobs that Congress did not intend for new presidents to replace at the start of their terms, eroding a traditional constraint on executive power even before he takes office.
In announcing his choices for roles in his administration, Mr. Trump has declared his plan to replace officials in three positions — so far — that do not traditionally turn over as part of a transition: the director of the F.B.I., the commissioner of the I.R.S. and the director of Voice of America, an overseas news service.
Under federal law, none are supposed to be treated like ordinary political appointees whom incoming presidents immediately replace with their own selections as a matter of course. While Mr. Trump has the legal power to do so, he is violating a norm of self-restraint that past presidents, including himself, adhered to.
Particularly striking is Mr. Trump’s plan to oust and replace the F.B.I. director, Christopher A. Wray, and the I.R.S. commissioner, Danny Werfel, in light of his repeated vow to use the levers of government to pursue his adversaries.
Both agencies have the power to open investigations, either criminal inquiries or tax audits. And because of the potential for abuses — and past instances of them — Congress structured the positions to emphasize that they are not supposed to operate as just another member of a president’s political team.
Instead, the leaders of the F.B.I. and the I.R.S. serve a fixed term that does not align with a change in administrations.
