President Trump is coming under bipartisan scrutiny in Congress after he ousted two inspectors general and publicly criticized a third — actions that have left lawmakers wrestling yet again with an administration that has repeatedly flouted efforts at independent oversight since Trump took office.
His resistance to the watchdog system established after the Watergate scandal come on two fronts that have largely defined the Trump presidency: His impeachment, which was triggered by his attempts to pressure Ukraine into conducting a political investigation of one of his domestic rivals; and his administration’s management of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, in which trillions of taxpayer dollars are being disbursed.
Trump’s dismissal of Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community’s inspector general, has in particular troubled influential Senate Republicans who are pushing the president for a more detailed explanation of why Atkinson was suddenly booted from his position late last week. Continue reading.