President Donald Trump has considered firing the Intelligence Community Inspector General for reporting the now-infamous whistleblower complaint to Congress. Trump appointed Michael Atkinson in 2017 but now sees him as “disloyal,” according to The New York Times.
“Mr. Trump first expressed his dismay about Mr. Atkinson around the time the whistle-blower’s complaint became public in September. In recent weeks, he has continued to raise with aides the possibility of firing him,” the Times reports.
Mr. Atkinson’s handling of the anonymous whistle-blower’s complaint was a major factor in the decision by House Democrats to initiate an impeachment inquiry. After conducting an investigation that led him to believe the complaint was credible, he forwarded it to the government’s top intelligence official, Joseph Maguire, who did not provide it to Congress in the time frame required under the law, but did allow Mr. Atkinson to alert lawmakers about the existence of the complaint.
Atkinson worked for the DOJ for 15 years before Trump appointed him IG.
You can read the Times full report here.
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