Michael Atkinson, intelligence community watchdog fired by Trump, breaks his silence
Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community watchdog who handled the whistleblower complaint that led to President Trump's impeachment, issued a two-page statement on his removal from the role Sunday night. In the statement, Atkinson said he had"faithfully discharged" his duties as inspector general and spent his nearly two-decade career serving"without regard to partisan favor or political fear.
Atkinson wrote that he was"legally obligated" to make sure whistleblowers had confidentiality and were protected from reprisal. He also issued an appeal to other would-be whistleblowers working for the federal government. During a coronavirus task force briefing Saturday, Mr. Trump said that he knew the identity of the whistleblower and implied it was not a secret. He also insisted that, as president, he had the"absolute right" to fire Atkinson, saying"I thought he did a terrible job" and calling him"a disgrace."
Although by statute, Mr. Atkinson was to have served an additional 30 days after Congress was notified of his removal, he was instead placed on immediate administrative leave, according to a source familiar with the matter. According to the transcript of the call that was later released, the whistleblower said,"I have received information from multiple U.S. Government officials that the President of the United States is using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 U.S. election. This interference includes, among other things, pressuring a foreign country to investigate one of the President's main domestic political rivals.
Atkinson's removal is the latest in a series of ousters at the top of the intelligence community ranks, most of which have been concentrated within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. In February, Maguire was replaced by the current acting director, Richard Grenell, who serves concurrently as Ambassador to Germany. Maguire's then-second in command, career CIA official Andrew Hallman, was also removed.
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