High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The White House travel office controversy, sometimes referred to as Travelgate, was the first major ethics controversy of the Clinton administration. It began in May 1993, when seven employees of the White House Travel Office were fired. This action was unusual because although its employees served at the pleasure of the President and could be dismissed without cause, in practice, such employees had remained in their posts for many years. The White House claimed the firings were done because financial improprieties in the Travel Office operation had been revealed by a brief FBI investigation. Critics contended the firings were done to allow friends of the Clintons to take over the travel business and that the involvement of the FBI was unwarranted. Heavy media attention forced the White House to reinstate most of the employees in other jobs and remove the Clinton associates from the travel role.