Fired Intel IG Speaks Out Against Trump as Watchdog Warns of a Democracy In 'Gravest Danger'
Published on
Monday, April 06, 2020
by Common Dreams
"The president's attempts to rid the government of those who would provide appropriate oversight and accountability for abuses... sets us on a dangerous trajectory."
by Eoin Higgins, staff writer
Michael Atkinson, the Intelligence Community inspector general fired by President Donald Trump on Friday, claimed in a statement Sunday that he had been let go for prioritizing doing his job over the interests of the president's political goals, raising questions about how the White House continues to treat the levers of government as a means to an end in the sole interest of Trump.
"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, and from my commitment to continue to do so," Atkinson said.
"Those of us who vowed to protect a whistleblower's right to safely be heard must, to the end, do what we promised to do, no matter how difficult and no matter the personal consequences," he added.
In an opinion piece for the New York Times Monday, Noah Bookbinder, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, warned that the president's firing of Atkinson was part of an "attack on democracy."
More:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/04/06/fired-intel-ig-speaks-out-against-trump-watchdog-warns-democracy-gravest-danger
