Atkinson: Trump fired me because I handled whistleblower complaint properly

[Eugene]

Source: Politico

The intelligence community watchdog removed abruptly late Friday by President Donald Trump says he believes Trump ousted him because of his evenhanded handling of a whistleblower complaint that ultimately led to the president's impeachment.

"It is hard not to think that the President’s loss of confidence in me derives from my having faithfully discharged my legal obligations as an independent and impartial Inspector General," Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community inspector general said in a statement Sunday, "and from my commitment to continue to do so."

Atkinson was the federal official who revealed to Congress in September the existence of a whistleblower complaint against Trump, which indicated that the president improperly pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals. When Atkinson sought to share that complaint with Congress under a federal whistleblower law, the White House and Justice Department intervened and blocked the transmission of the complaint for days.

Ultimately, amid withering pressure, Trump provided the whistleblower complaint to Congress, as well as a transcript of a July 2019 call with Ukraine's president, two pieces of evidence that became crucial factors in the House's decision to impeach Trump for abuse of power. The Senate later acquitted him on a nearly party-line vote.

-snip-

By KYLE CHENEY
04/05/2020 10:09 PM EDT


Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/05/atkinson-trump-fired-whistleblower-complaint-167371

[JohnnyRingo]

1. Not going quietly I see.

Most do while others threaten a book deal.
Somebody make some popcorn. He'll be headed to cable news this week.

It's amusing that Trump's complaint was that the IG didn't come to him personally instead of making it public. That's laughable because I suspect Trump thinks he could have explained how it was "a perfect phone call" and it would have been over. Or perhaps he would have threatened him, but I think Trump believes his own bullshit. He probably thought the IG just didn't understand the meaning of "perfect phone call". I know I don't.

[olddad65]

2. And trumputin is a fucking moron

[NCjack]

3. Will removing this IG give Trump a path to the name of the whistle blower?

[ResistantAmerican17]

4. Cue Susan Collins' fake "concern"

sure doesn’t look like he “learned his lesson.” She is as worthless as drumph.

[nykym]

5. He said, tRump fired me because I handled whistleblower complaint properly

What he should have said,
tRUMP fired me because I handled the whistleblower complaint PERFECTLY!