Anti-Trump Republican Senator Mitt Romney of Utah ripped into President Trump Saturday for his firing of several inspectors general over the past few months, calling the moves “a threat to accountable democracy and a fissure in the constitutional balance of power.”
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Romney’s attack comes a day after Trump fired Obama holdover State Department Inspector General Steve Linick. Since his acquittal in early February in the Senate impeachment trial over Ukraine allegations–in which Romney was the only GOP senator to vote to convict Trump–Trump has fired four IGs or acting IGs.
“The firings of multiple Inspectors General is unprecedented; doing so without good cause chills the independence essential to their purpose. It is a threat to accountable democracy and a fissure in the constitutional balance of power.”
The firings of multiple Inspectors General is unprecedented; doing so
without good cause chills the independence essential to their purpose. It is a threat to accountable democracy and a fissure in the constitutional balance of power.— Senator Mitt Romney (@SenatorRomney) May 16, 2020
List of the other IGs fired by Trump the past few months:
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Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson
Acting Defense Department Inspector General Glenn Fine
Acting Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General Christi Grimm
Copy of President Trump’s letter to Speaker Pelosi on the firing of Linick:
