“Inspector General Atkinson is known throughout the Inspector General community for his integrity, professionalism, and commitment to the rule of law and independent oversight,” Horowitz said in a statement. “In the midst of a national emergency, it is unconscionable that the president is once again attempting to undermine the integrity of the intelligence community by firing yet another intelligence official simply for doing his job,” Warner said.Īnd in a statement, the chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, Michael Horowitz, defended his colleague. Mark Warner - the Democratic vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee - said in a statement that Trump had targeted Atkinson for serving honorably. “President Trump’s decision to fire Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson is yet another blatant attempt by the President to gut the independence of the Intelligence Community and retaliate against those who dare to expose presidential wrongdoing,” House Intelligence Committee chair Rep. While the president does have the power to remove Atkinson, a number of his critics - particularly Democratic lawmakers - have argued the inspector general was removed as retribution for his role in the impeachment proceedings. Trump said that he will submit a nomination for a replacement to the job, which investigates and audits the work of the national intelligence director and his staff, “at a later date.” “That is no longer the case with regard to this inspector general.”
“As is the case with regard to other positions where I, as president, have the power of appointment, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, it is vital that I have the fullest confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors general,” Trump wrote. In formal letters to the respective chairs and vice chairs of the Senate and House intelligence committees, Trump wrote that he chose to remove Atkinson from his office, effective 30 days from Friday, because he no longer has faith in the appointed official.
#Spark inspector series
With his firing, Atkinson becomes the latest of a series of administration officials involved in the impeachment process to be fired or reassigned. Michael Atkinson, then inspector general of the intelligence community, told Congress last September about a whistleblower complaint that alleged Trump had communicated improperly with the president of Ukraine. The president informed the House and Senate intelligence committees of the firing in a letter on Friday. President Donald Trump has fired the intelligence community inspector general who first told Congress of the whistleblower complaint that ultimately led to Trump’s impeachment.
0 kommentar(er)
