Atkinson, Michael IG intell

<div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">oh, that's why</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/04/outgoing-intel-ig-michael-atkinson-says-trump-abruptly-fired-him-for-fulfilling-his-legal-obligations/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/04/outgoing-intel-ig-michael-atkinson-says-trump-abruptly-fired-him-for-fulfilling-his-legal-obligations/</a></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/04/pure-retaliation-trump-fires-inspector-general-who-sounded-alarm-about-ukraine-whistleblower-complaint/"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2020/04/pure-retaliation-trump-fires-inspector-general-who-sounded-alarm-about-ukraine-whistleblower-complaint/</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>‘Pure retaliation’: Trump fires inspector general who sounded alarm about Ukraine whistleblower complaint</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Written by Julia Conley / Common Dreams April 5, 2020</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Democratic lawmakers and government watchdogs on Saturday condemned President Donald Trump’s abrupt dismissal of Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community inspector general who informed Congress last year of the whistleblower complaint which kicked off Trump’s eventual impeachment proceedings.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Two months after being acquitted by the Senate, Trump on Friday night told lawmakers in a letter to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees that he no longer had confidence in Atkinson.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>“It is vital that I have the fullest confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors general,</b>” the president wrote (pdf). “That is no longer the case with regard to this inspector general.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Atkinson’s firing will be in effect in early May, 30 days from Trump’s announcement.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), chair of the House Intelligence Committee, condemned Trump’s decision, which he viewed as retaliation against Atkinson for informing Congress of the White House communications with Ukraine last year which were at the center of the impeachment hearings.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump’s dead of night decision to fire ICIG Michael Atkinson is another blatant attempt to gut the independence of the Intelligence Community and retaliate against those who dare to expose presidential wrongdoing.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It puts our country and national security at even greater risk. pic.twitter.com/Pnm7chdIkl</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) April 4, 2020</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Disagreeing with then-acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire’s decision to take the whistleblower complaint to Trump’s Justice Department, Atkinson alerted Congress about the complaint regarding Trump’s conversations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, </b>in which he asked Zelensky to publicly launch a corruption investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Daniel Goldman, who served as counsel to the House Democrats during the impeachment hearings, said Atkinson “followed the law with the utmost integrity” and accused Trump of seeking “pure retaliation, retribution, and reprisal.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I saw Michael Atkinson up close. He followed the law with the utmost integrity. He did nothing to lose Trump’s confidence other than lawfully and properly expose Trump’s misconduct and the ensuing efforts to cover it up. This is pure retaliation, retribution and reprisal. https://t.co/GStcTOJn4J</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— Daniel Goldman (@danielsgoldman) April 4, 2020</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Trump was also rebuked by the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Inspector General Atkinson is known throughout the Inspector General community for his integrity, professionalism, and commitment to the rule of law and independent oversight,” said council chairman Michael Horowitz. “That includes his actions in handling the Ukraine whistleblower complaint, which the then Acting Director of National Intelligence stated in congressional testimony was done ‘by the book’ and consistent with the law.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">National security analyst Clint Watts wrote that Trump chose to fire Atkinson while Americans are focused on the coronavirus pandemic, which has spread to more than 278,000 Americans and has killed more than 7,000.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“While the world is rightly distracted by COVID19, we see leaders around the world with authoritarian tendencies subverting democracy. U.S. is no different,” Watts tweeted, suggesting a comparison between Trump and far-right Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who secured dictatorial powers this week through an emergency law passed by Parliament.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Death of American democracy, one Friday firing at a time, people are usually fired for not doing their job, Atkinson was literally fired for doing his job and following the law.</b> https://t.co/o1X719iEox</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— Clint Watts (@selectedwisdom) April 4, 2020</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</b></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>At the Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW</b>), deputy director Donald K. Sherman suggested the American public could soon learn that Atkinson’s firing may have been brought about by actions unrelated to last year’s whistleblower complaint and Trump’s impeachment.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Everyone is assuming this move is retaliation for something we know #Atkinson Atkinson did — sounding the alarm on the Ukraine whistleblower complaint— but what if it’s for launching an investigation into something we don’t yet know about? https://t.co/oF1TF60Tk4</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— Donald K. Sherman (@donaldonethics) April 4, 2020</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“The question we need to ask right now is what investigations or audits did Atkinson start in the last few months,” Sherman wrote. “Were any related to intelligence failures around coronavirus? Why would he be fired so abruptly AND placed on administrative leave?”</font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/04/trump-fires-people-for-telling-the-truth-president-blasted-for-dead-of-night-decision-to-fire-intel-watchdog/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/04/trump-fires-people-for-telling-the-truth-president-blasted-for-dead-of-night-decision-to-fire-intel-watchdog/</a></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>‘Trump fires people for telling the truth’: President blasted for ‘dead of night decision’ to fire intel watchdog</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">President Donald Trump was harshly criticized on Friday for firing intelligence community<b> Inspector General</b> Michael Atkinson.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">House Intel Chair Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Senate Intel Ranking Member Mark Warner (D-VA) were among the lawmakers who took to Twitter to criticize Trump on his favorite social media platform.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Here’s some of what people were saying about Trump’s decision:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Adam Schiff</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@RepAdamSchiff</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump’s dead of night decision to fire ICIG Michael Atkinson is another blatant attempt to gut the independence of the Intelligence Community and retaliate against those who dare to expose presidential wrongdoing.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It puts our country and national security at even greater risk.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">...</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mark Warner</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@MarkWarner</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> · 15h</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">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, the ICIG, simply for doing his job.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mark Warner</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@MarkWarner</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">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.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rep. Gerry Connolly</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@GerryConnolly</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Donald Trump tramples the Constitution again. This time, late on a Friday night under the cover of global crisis. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Congress may be at home, but we can see you, Mr. President. And we’re the one group of people you can’t fire. https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1246262473977561088 …</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Kyle Griffin</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@kylegriffin1</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Breaking: Trump has fired the intelligence community's chief watchdog, Michael Atkinson, who was the first to sound the alarm to Congress about an "urgent" complaint he'd received from an intelligence official involving Trump's communications with Ukraine. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/03/trump-fires-intelligence-community-inspector-general-164287 …</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">244</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">7:55 PM - Apr 3, 2020</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Twitter Ads info and privacy</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">117 people are talking about this</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">David Cicilline</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@david<b>cicilline</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>How many civil servants will be victimized by this President before Republicans wake the hell up?</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">1,779</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">7:52 PM - Apr 3, 2020</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Twitter Ads info and privacy</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">531 people are talking about this</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jim Himes</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@jahimes</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Captain Crozier and Inspector General Atkinson. Decent patriotic men of service doing their jobs with honor. And of course @realDonaldTrump can’t abide that. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Both fired in one week.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">There is no bottom to this administration.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Chuck Schumer</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@SenSchumer</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Whether it’s LTC Vindman, Captain Crozier, or Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">President Trump fires people for telling the truth. https://twitter.com/NatashaBertrand/status/1246261657086672896 …</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Natasha Bertrand</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@NatashaBertrand</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">BREAKING: Trump has fired the intelligence community’s chief watchdog, Michael Atkinson, saying he no longer has confidence in him. He will be removed 30 days from now. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/03/trump-fires-intelligence-community-inspector-general-164287 …</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Chuck Schumer</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@SenSchumer</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Michael Atkinson is a man of integrity who has served our nation for almost two decades. Being fired for having the courage to speak truth to power makes him a patriot. https://twitter.com/NatashaBertrand/status/1246261657086672896 …</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Natasha Bertrand</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@NatashaBertrand</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">BREAKING: Trump has fired the intelligence community’s chief watchdog, Michael Atkinson, saying he no longer has confidence in him. He will be removed 30 days from now. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/03/trump-fires-intelligence-community-inspector-general-164287 …</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rep. Eric Swalwell</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@RepSwalwell</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">America, time to fire @realDonaldTrump https://twitter.com/natashabertrand/status/1246261657086672896 …</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Natasha Bertrand</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@NatashaBertrand</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">BREAKING: Trump has fired the intelligence community’s chief watchdog, Michael Atkinson, saying he no longer has confidence in him. He will be removed 30 days from now. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/03/trump-fires-intelligence-community-inspector-general-164287 …</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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