Bipartisan group of senators demands Trump explain intel IG firing

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Politico

CONGRESS

Bipartisan group of senators demands Trump explain intel IG firing

The letter, signed by eight senators, represents Congress' clearest denunciation yet of the decision to sack the intelligence community inspector general.

By ANDREW DESIDERIO

04/08/2020 09:27 PM EDT

A bipartisan group of senators is demanding that President Donald Trump explain why he fired the intelligence community's top watchdog, writing in a letter late Wednesday that the president's stated reasoning was "not sufficient."

The letter, signed by eight senators from both parties, represents Congress' clearest denunciation yet of Trump's decision to sack Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community inspector general.

"Congressional intent is clear that an expression of lost confidence, without further explanation, is not sufficient to fulfill the requirements of the statute," the lawmakers, led by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), wrote in the letter to Trump.

The senators cited a 2008 law mandating that the president provide Congress with a detailed explanation of his decision to fire Atkinson, who defied Trump last year when he turned over to lawmakers a whistleblower complaint that led to the president's impeachment.

{snip}

The lawmakers also accused Trump of going around Congress when he placed Atkinson on administrative leave when he fired him, effectively sidestepping the mandatory 30-day notice to the congressional intelligence panels.

“By placing the IG on 30 days of administrative leave and naming an acting replacement, the administration has already effectively removed that IG and appears to have circumvented Congress’s role in this process,” the senators wrote.

They added that the purpose of the 30-day requirement was “to provide an opportunity for an appropriate dialogue with Congress in the event that the planned transfer or removal is viewed as an inappropriate or politically motivated attempt to terminate an effective inspector general.”

{snip}

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/08/senate-trump-inspector-general-176407

[padah513]

1. Trying to rob the till

While no one's looking

[ronatchig]

11. Actually He trying

to rob the til while everyone is watching.

[Grokenstein]

2. "Mommy said I could!"

"You're not my mommy!!"

[theaocp]

3. Conservatives complain about faces being eaten

after letting face-eating leopard stay in office to eat more faces. They'll do nothing. They're all Susie Collins.

[Lowell]

4. He really thinks he is above the law.

We knew trump was like this all along. Anyone who has looked at his past expects him to be a turd.

[cstanleytech]

8. That's because the House and Senate Republicans have given him their consent to do it

which is hardly surprising seeing as they are his co-conspirators.

[FiveGoodMen]

10. He IS above the law

Unless and UNTIL someone stops him.

[bucolic_frolic]

5. Everything was twisted and nothing ran right

in Nazi Germany, except plunder. The inner circle could walk off with anything they wanted. Because of the war it was kind of a sideshow.

[duforsure]

6. If they have any sense

They should all join together and remove this nation security threat ASAP before he makes it even worse, and he will.

[keithbvadu2]

7. Blatant, brazen corruption right out in the open.

Hand picked IGs.

[ResistantAmerican17]

9. Are you listening aunt Susie?

He sure learned his lesson didn’t he?

[lastlib]

12. Has she been "concerned" about this?

Clearly, she hasn't been "deeply troubled," so I guess it's nothing to work myself up about....... But if she's "concerned," I should probably pay attention to it--the way she does.

[Martin Eden]

13. "politically motivated attempt to remove an effective inspector general"

It was that PLUS vindictive retribution.