Inspector General Michael Atkins told lawmakers about a whistleblower complaint that led to impeachment

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has informed Congress that he is firing Michael Atkinson, the inspector general of the intelligence community who alerted lawmakers to the whistleblower complaint that led to the president’s impeachment.In letters sent to the congressional intelligence committees late Friday night, without warning, Trump told lawmakers that he had lost confidence in Atkinson, who has served as the watchdog for US spy agencies since 2018.

“As is the case with regard to other positions where I, as President, have the power of appointment, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, it is vital that I have the fullest confidence in the appointees serving as Inspectors General,” Trump wrote. “That is no longer the case with regard to this Inspector General.”
 

BREAKING: President Donald Trump has told Congress that he is firing Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson, per a letter obtained by BuzzFeed News. Atkinson found that the whistleblower complaint that led to Trump’s impeachment was credible.

— Emma Loop (@LoopEmma) April 4, 2020

In September, Atkinson told the intelligence committees about the existence of the whistleblower complaint, which alleged that the president has misused the powers of his office to pressure the Ukrainian government to announce an investigation into former vice president Joe Biden. Atkinson had found the complaint to be credible, but Joseph Maguire, then the acting director of national intelligence, blocked it from being sent to Congress. The whistleblower complaint became the basis for Trump’s impeachment in the fall and winter.

Trump has reportedly previously considered firing Atkinson, privately complaining that the long-time career public servant had been disloyal.

Trump said that the firing would take effect 30 days from now. “At a later date, I will be submitting to the Senate my nomination of an individual for this position who has my full confidence and who meets the appropriate qualifications,” Trump concluded.

The move received immediate backlash from the Democratic leaders of the intelligence committees. Congress is currently in recess until at least late April as the nation grapples with the coronavirus pandemic.

“In the midst of a national emergency, it is unconscionable that the President is once again attempting to undermine the integrity of the intelligence community by firing yet another intelligence official simply for doing his job,” Sen. Mark Warner, the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement. “The work of the intelligence community has never been about loyalty to a single individual; it’s about keeping us all safe from those who wish to do our country harm. We should all be deeply disturbed by ongoing attempts to politicize the nation’s intelligence agencies.”

Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, called the decision “yet another blatant attempt by the President to gut the independence of the Intelligence Community and retaliate against those who dare to expose presidential wrongdoing.

“At a time when our country is dealing with a national emergency and needs people in the Intelligence Community to speak truth to power, the President’s dead of night decision puts our country and national security at even greater risk,” Schiff said in a statement.

“Moreover, this retribution against a distinguished public servant for doing his job and informing Congress of an urgent and credible whistleblower complaint is a direct affront to the entire inspector general system” Schiff added. “It undermines the transparency and oversight the American people expect of their government, and in its absence will undoubtedly lead to even greater corruption in the Administration.”