Althouse: "President Donald Trump has fired the intelligence community’s chief watchdog, Michael Atkinson, who was the first to sound the alarm to Congress last September..."

April 4, 2020

"President Donald Trump has fired the intelligence community’s chief watchdog, Michael Atkinson, who was the first to sound the alarm to Congress last September..."

"... about an 'urgent' complaint he received from an intelligence official involving Trump’s communications with Ukraine’s president. Atkinson's decision set in motion the congressional probe that culminated in Trump's impeachment and ultimate acquittal in a bruising political and legal drama that consumed Washington for months.... House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) described the firing as 'retribution' coming in the 'dead of night' and called it '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.'"

Politico reports.

85 comments:

rhhardin said...: Deep state watchdog. Protect our jobs loyalties.; 4/4/20, 7:23 AM
Oso Negro said...: Good! There is a time and place for retribution. I would like to see a lot more of it.; 4/4/20, 7:29 AM
Temujin said...: There goes Trump. Tossing out the garbage in the dead of night.

If the press had paid a single bit of attention on anything the 'intelligence' community has done over the past 25 years, particularly over the past 4, one would wonder why ANYONE in any leadership position should be left with a pension. These people committed some of the worst crimes against the country- ever. Just 2 days ago IG Horowitz came out with more information on how badly the FBI messed up the FISA warrants in the Russia! Russia! Russia! saga. Not by accident, mind you. But as a highly planned process (of which Adam Schiff was a large player).

Michael Atkinson apparently was not around to follow the Biden family career in Ukraine?

I hate our press.; 4/4/20, 7:30 AM
brylun said...: New April 3, 2020 FISA Court Order:

"1. The government forthwith shall provide the Court with the names of the targets and
the docket numbers for the 29 applications reviewed by the OIG and specify which targets and docket numbers correspond to the four applications for which the FBI could not locate a Woods File and the three for which it could not say whether a Woods File ever existed;
2. The government shall:
(a) assess to what extent those 29 applications involved material misstatements or
omissions; and
(b) assess whether any such material misstatements and omissions render invalid, in
whole or in part, authorizations granted by the Court for that target in the reviewed
docket or other dockets.
In making those assessments, the government shall prioritize cases and targets for which the FBI was unable to locate a Woods File for the OIG's review;
3. By June 15, 2020, the government shall make a sworn submission reporting on the
conduct and results of the assessments required by paragraph 2 above , including the basis for assessing that particular misstatements or omissions were not material or otherwise did not render invalid any Court authorization;
4. Starting no later than June 15, 2020, and at two-month intervals thereafter, the
government shall report on the progress of efforts to account for and ensure the proper
maintenance of Woods Files for all dockets beginning on or after January 1, 2015, and, as
appropriate, take associated remedial steps. The government undertook such efforts in response to one of the recommendation s in the OIG Memorandum. See OIG Memorandum at 9, 12; and
5. In its March 5, 2020, Corrected Opinion and Order, the Court required the
government, by May 22, 2020, to submit "a description of any audit, review, or compliance
mechanisms implemented or to be implemented by the FBI's Office of Integrity and Compliance
or Resource Planning Office that bear on the efficacy of any of the remedial measures discussed therein. See Opinion and Order at 18. Such submission shall also describe how the government will use the results of accuracy reviews to identify patterns or trends so that the FBI can enhance training to improve performance in following the Woods Procedures or improve policies to help ensure the accuracy of FISA applications, as it has undertaken to do in response to the other recommendation in the OIG Memorandum. See OIG Memorandum at 9, 12, 15."; 4/4/20, 7:39 AM
Fernandinande said...: "intelligence community’s chief watchdog"

I don't like the idea that these sleazy outfits are viewed as a "community".

Their "watchdogs" seem a lot like our watchdog: he'll let you know if there are any cats or crows lurking around (Trump/Ukraine), but wags his tail at people (Biden/Ukraine).; 4/4/20, 7:41 AM
Charlie Currie said...: See, there is good news out there.; 4/4/20, 7:44 AM
Charlie Currie said...: Atkinson is eyeballs deep in all the fisa abuse.; 4/4/20, 7:47 AM
Lyle said...: Good, bag as many nutria as you can.; 4/4/20, 7:47 AM
iowan2 said...: It's hard to grasp just how corrupt the DoJ, FBI, IC,(intel community), and State Dept have become. The Russian scam, exposed all four of these agencies. Now President Trump has expose the this IG (how many more?).

Who is is watching the watchers? (not the media); 4/4/20, 7:47 AM
chuck said...: Good riddance. What a schmuck.; 4/4/20, 7:50 AM
Chuck said...: I remember when TrumpWorld had their hearts all a flutter over the Horowitz report.

Well, Horowitz just condemned this firing:

https://mobile.twitter.com/OversightGov/status/1246298256654688256; 4/4/20, 7:52 AM
Ron Winkleheimer said...: If Rachel Maddow was an actual journalist and not a propagandist she would have had serious follow up questions for Chuck Schumer when he said that the intelligence agencies "have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you." She should have been shocked and asked him if he was aware of any politicians or US citizens who the intelligence community had "got back at" for their political views. Had the threat of being "get back at" influenced any of his votes? Shouldn't he be holding hearings to investigate the fact that the intelligence community had not only escaped oversight, but was interfering in the policy making process of the government? Wasn't he concerned that the intelligence community was subverting the constitutional order of the United States? She didn't ask those questions because she believes that the intelligence community is on her side, and she is correct. It is self-evident that the intelligence community is not in any way independent. And its not even any good at the job is supposed to be doing. To busy "getting back at" US citizens that displease it I suppose.; 4/4/20, 7:53 AM
Jaq said...: You mean the guy who changed the rules on what was reportable in contravention of the actual whistleblower law? That guy?; 4/4/20, 7:59 AM
Ron Winkleheimer said...: Who is is watching the watchers? (not the media)

The media is hiring them to act as fellow propagandists. The fact that the media is hiring former intelligence and law enforcement officials and putting them on air as "experts" is a frightening phenomenon. The MSM and the deep state are partners. Nobody is exercising any oversight over anyone.; 4/4/20, 8:00 AM
Jaq said...: I think that impeaching Trump during the incipient phase of a pandemic for asking for a couple of documents regarding US corruption in Ukraine was a fine use of the national government apparatus.; 4/4/20, 8:01 AM
Ron Winkleheimer said...: Well, Horowitz just condemned this firing:

Horowitz was a deep state actor who spent three years trying to dig up dirt on Trump and failed. Who cares what he says? Chuck, your anti-Trump fu is weak.; 4/4/20, 8:02 AM
Jaq said...: "The MSM and the deep state are partners.”

The globalist who brought you the utter dependence of the US on China want Trump gone at any price. Chuck is one of them, though admittedly only having attained the rank of Toady - First Class.; 4/4/20, 8:03 AM
JPS said...: The distinction between chuck and Chuck causes me whiplash every now and then.

Fernandistein, ever see “No Way Out?” You reminded me of a line from Gene Hackman’s SecDef: “Calling that collection of piranhas a community is one of life’s ironies.”; 4/4/20, 8:04 AM
iowan2 said...: President Trump has taken the fight to the complicit media

The leftist media will blindly go after President Trump. With their usual lack of forsight, not considering the facts they have to rebutal for.

Specifically, IG Atkinson, as the IG for the IC, investigated a complaint that never touched the intelligence community. He did this investigation, after the CIA refused to investigate, for the singular reason that the complaint never touched on the CIA operation, conduct, or spending. Atkinson did his investigation after the CIA refused...because of Legal opnions of the CIA office of legal counsel, and the White House office of legal counsel, in conjunction with DoJ office of legal counsel. All these legal opinions pointed out the "whistle blower" was not attached to the IC, and the conduct had nothing to do with the IC. The "whistle blower" was directed to the State Dept IG, or the White House IG.
The problem then became that ONLY the IC IG's are required by law to forward whistle blower complaints to congressional intelligence committees.

I bolded the above so as to understand the corrupt nature of IG Atkinson. Also to expose the collusion between Schiff, and the IC. reverse engineering a President Trump communication, into a sham impeachment.; 4/4/20, 8:10 AM
Wince said...: It's a good time to fire all these Deep Staters.

All their fawning interviews on MSNBC, CNN and Legacy Media will be garbled video phone links.; 4/4/20, 8:12 AM
tim maguire said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/4/20, 8:16 AM
JAORE said...: Oh noes!

And by that I mean good. Anyone who followed the dead of night, don't know who did it, changes to allow hearsay as whistle blower covered material should wonder how this guy retained his job this long.

Wish it were more of them and had started a couple of years ago. About 200 similar messages MIGHT cause some re-thinking within the resistance.; 4/4/20, 8:18 AM
tim maguire said...: JPS said...
The distinction between chuck and Chuck causes me whiplash every now and then.

Thanks for the flag—I had to delete a comment over the, “holy mackerel! Chuck’s talking sense! Holy Mackerel, Chuck went back to being Chuck in only 2 minutes!

Now I see.; 4/4/20, 8:20 AM
iowan2 said...: Well, Horowitz just condemned this firing:

I knew up front what I would find by going to the link at twitter. Not a condemnation of the firing. It was a statement of support for Atkinson.

As my earlier post lays out, Atkinson investigated a complaint turned down by the CIA, because, while the WB was a CIA employee, staffed to the White House. The allegation touched no part of the CIA operation, Three different office of legal counsels wrote opinions citing the applicable laws and exactly why the WB complaint did not belong in the IC

I also explained why Schiff, force it into the IC, by reverse engineering the complaint.; 4/4/20, 8:23 AM
The Vault Dweller said...: The Democrats would sound honest in their worries about this if the urgent complaint from the 'whistleblower' was actually treated seriously and they actually, oh I don't know, called the whistleblower as a witness, during their impeachment bugaloo. Instead the whistleblower complaint now just looks like a false, manufactured predicate to give the democrats enough political cause to start the investigations.

Also wasn't the Intelligence Inspector General the person who coincidentally enough changed the rules regarding complaints just a month or two before to allow complaints based on hearsay? Not sorry to see this guy go. In fact I am pleased.; 4/4/20, 8:24 AM
Michael said...: There was no wrongdoing to expose.; 4/4/20, 8:25 AM
SGT Ted said...: The "urgent complaint" was a set-up job from a Democrat Party Obama loyalist aimed at bringing down a duly elected president using fabricated evidence. He betrayed the trust invested in him as a Government official by not reviewing the complaint for truthfulness.

Secret witnesses and secret hearings is what Fascists and Communists use against their political enemies to throw them in jail. The Democrats aren't acting like Americans anymore.; 4/4/20, 8:28 AM
mandrewa said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/4/20, 8:30 AM
AustinRoth said...: Revenge is a dish best served cold.

And November is also a historically cold month for a good portion of the country. That is when the Democrats will get the ultimate revenge served on them - 4 more years of Trump, the House back under Republican control, and a larger Republican majority in the Senate.; 4/4/20, 8:30 AM
Cato said...: Good for Trump. The Deep State must be destroyed.; 4/4/20, 8:47 AM
Howard said...: More whistling past the graveyard; 4/4/20, 8:56 AM
Louie the Looper said...: This whole Ukraine thing seems a hundred years ago. It’s so irrelevant now. Thanks for the stroll down memory lane.

I wonder what ever became of the Ukraine. It used to be our most important ally. Do they have masks they can spare?; 4/4/20, 9:01 AM
hombre said...: This watchdog wasn’t watching when the intelligence community was giving or selling confidential material to the mediaswine for political purposes.; 4/4/20, 9:01 AM
narciso said...: related; 4/4/20, 9:10 AM
Jaq said...: How many lives are on Atkinson’s hands for ginning up a bullshit impeachment as the pandemic was starting?; 4/4/20, 9:19 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: I guess Trump got tired of waiting for Sen. Graham to hold hearings to sort out the Biden / Ukraine corruption.; 4/4/20, 9:20 AM
hombre said...: Chuck said...
“I remember when TrumpWorld had their hearts all a flutter over the Horowitz report. Well, Horowitz just condemned this firing....”

Horowitz did his duty, reluctantly, but failed to call out political motivation when it was obvious. He is nobody’s hero.

Atkinson was a Deep State partisan hack who facilitated sedition in the intelligence community. Perhaps Horowitz feels he can restore his Deep State creds by condemning the firing. It’s difficult to accept anyone condoning Atkinson’s behavior.; 4/4/20, 9:23 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: “Atkinson is eyeballs deep in all the fisa abuse”

What has to be remembered is that Atkinson was the personal in-house attorney for NSD AAG Mary McCord, who bailed from the DOJ to the LawFare Group after Trump’s election and then was hired by Schifty and his HPSCI. It was her department that approved each and every one of the Carter Page FISA warrants (though some of them after she ailed), and her signature was the last one required before the first couple warrant packages that went to the DAG for formal approval and submission to the FISC. Both of them just shifted from facilitating Russian Collusion/FISA abuse over to Ukrainian collusion/Impeachment.

Face it - Atkinson was dirty.

Interestingly, maybe, that Atkinson was fired during the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic, and so raised far less controversy from the Dems and their MSM flunkies than it would have earlier.; 4/4/20, 9:33 AM
GatorNavy said...: The intelligence community used to be stove-piped. This was a command and control mechanism. 9/11 happened and the subsequent piss-poor legislation allowed liked minded intelligence scumbags to pool vast amounts of information and hard earned taxpayer money. The inability of congress and the courts to rein in these unconstitutional and extra constitutional actors led to this mess we are now facing.; 4/4/20, 9:47 AM
Shouting Thomas said...: @Michael

There was no wrongdoing to expose.

Correct.; 4/4/20, 9:54 AM
Shouting Thomas said...: The bureaucracy we build now to respond to any and every emergency will be permanent. It won't go away. It will be the same as the huge military and intelligence bureaucracy we built for WWII that has never been disbanded. It will rule us.

That bureaucracy will pull stunts similar to the Deep State's coup plot against Trump.; 4/4/20, 9:55 AM
Third Coast said...: Ric Grenell is starting to throw out the trash in the "Intelligence" (sic) Community. This is just the start. Once Gen. Flynn is pardoned, would love to see Trump appoint him to do a comprehensive audit of the "Intelligence" (sic) apparatus, which is what Flynn wanted to do before the FBI framed him.; 4/4/20, 10:00 AM
Shouting Thomas said...: Impeachment was a successful gambit to bury the Bidens' extortion and bribery rackets in Ukraine.

We never did get around to investigating that, or the Bidens' extortion and bribery rackets in China.; 4/4/20, 10:04 AM
Breezy said...: Good move by Trump. Acting ODNI needs to be sure the whistleblower doc requirements get reverted back to something sane, I.e. first hand info.; 4/4/20, 10:05 AM
Original Mike said...: "The results were so bad the IG produced an interim memorandum to the DOJ and FBI [pdf link here]. Within the 17-page-memo the IG notifies Attorney General Bill Barr and FBI Director Chris Wray that all of the claimed FISA processes, in every field office, are grossly deficient, and in most cases there is zero compliance with FISA standards. The IG memorandum is presented before the IG even looks at the specifics of the non-compliance."

This is what Horowitz is finding when he turned over his rock. What did Atkinson find under his rock?

Atkinson didn't look under his rock. He sat on his rock.; 4/4/20, 10:09 AM
Breezy said...: Horowitz publicized Atkinson's ineptitude. Seems strange that Horowitz would submit a statement of support afterwards.; 4/4/20, 10:14 AM
Steve Pitment said...: Schiff can prove this was a dirty move on Trump"s part by releasing the only testimony he won't from his dungeon hearings: that of Atkinson. What are you hiding, Mr. Chairman? Spoiler alert: He his hiding Atkinson' contact with his staff to orchestrate the whole thing.; 4/4/20, 10:17 AM
RigelDog said...: Atkinson is eyeballs deep in all the fisa abuse.}}}}

I want to turn gay and marry that woman! I certainly don't always agree with her but I see consistent, intelligent, and persistent efforts to dig down and follow stories that need to be covered. Amazing...if only there was a group of people...professionals...whose job it is ask questions that examine all sides of current events and issues...; 4/4/20, 10:20 AM
RigelDog said...: Whoops read too quickly! I meant to praise Sharyl Attkisson' reporting, not Atkinson.; 4/4/20, 10:23 AM
Michael K said...: The FISA report should have prepared everyone but Chuck for this.

tim in vermont said...
You mean the guy who changed the rules on what was reportable in contravention of the actual whistleblower law? That guy?

Yup. That's the one.; 4/4/20, 10:23 AM
TJM said...: Inga,

Any deep thoughts?; 4/4/20, 10:32 AM
Etienne said...: "expose presidential wrongdoing"

Like making a telephone call to a state leader about a corrupt American family.; 4/4/20, 10:57 AM
Amadeus 48 said...: Yawn. Good riddance.; 4/4/20, 11:12 AM
Wa St Blogger said...: “When you strike at a king, you must kill him.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson; 4/4/20, 11:27 AM
Yancey Ward said...: He was fired because it is very obvious he was involved in an actual plot from the beginning. It is pretty fucking clear he was moved over to the IC community to serve as a valve for exactly this impeachment effort. Add to that that he broke pretty much every rule of his job just to get Ciaramella's illicit complaint to Schiff, and then Atkinson lied his role in it.

He should have been fired the day after the acquittal vote.; 4/4/20, 11:49 AM
Etienne said...: "He should have been fired the day after the acquittal vote."

He should have resigned after the impeachment, and before the trial.; 4/4/20, 11:58 AM
Jupiter said...: Fired him like a dog, I trust.; 4/4/20, 12:00 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: “Impeachment was a successful gambit to bury the Bidens' extortion and bribery rackets in Ukraine.”

“We never did get around to investigating that, or the Bidens' extortion and bribery rackets in China.”

The Biden Chinese money is probably safe. The Chinese government is probably more likely to go to war with us in our weakened state, than help investigating their own corruption. But their Ukrainian loot appears to be different. For political reasons, Trump and the US govt cannot effectively investigate the Bidens, and esp now that he is the highly likely Dem nominee against Trump. But the Ukrainians can, and seem to have relished the opportunity to do so. Sure, Trump may have given them a wink and a nod, but it was their previous government that gave Hunter Biden all that money, and that acquiesced to removing the prosecutor after China Joe threatened to halt our foreign aid to them. We shall see.; 4/4/20, 12:00 PM
Mike Sylwester said...: There is so much sad news, because of the coronavirus epidemic.

It cheered me up to get this good news about the firing of this Deep State operative.

Michael Atkinson's only apparent talent was his ability to change whistle-blower forms in a sneaky manner.; 4/4/20, 12:02 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: “ He should have been fired the day after the acquittal vote”

Agreed, but by waiting until the midst of the Wuhan pandemic I this country, it was basically buried, and Trump couldn’t really be attacked over the firing, as he most certainly would have been, if he had done as you suggested.; 4/4/20, 12:04 PM
rcocean said...: Good news! i was hoping Trump would've fired him long before this. He was a member of the resistance and why he was appointed to the position and not fired from DoJ is a mystery. Atkinson outrageously changed the "Whistleblower form" to allow hearsay evidence and then grandstanded before Congress so a nothing-burger could be used for impeachment.; 4/4/20, 12:13 PM
Unknown said...: Revenge is a dish best served cold ��; 4/4/20, 12:17 PM
rcocean said...: That phony whistle blower that the entire establishment tried to protect should have been fired too. This is the most incredible, unwarranted impeachment in the history of our Country. The best justification the D's could mount for their articles of impeachment was "The House can impeach for any reason it wants". That Mitt Romney voted to convict along with "Fake Moderate WV Virginia Joe" should never be forgotten. Or that both of them wanted that absurd Senate trial to go on forever, because they wanted more witnesses.

If it was up to Mittens, that impeachment trial would've distracted Trump in march when he had to focus on the Wuhan Virus.; 4/4/20, 12:19 PM
rcocean said...: The next step in to pardon Flynn since the Federal Judge refuse to bring his sentencing to a close.; 4/4/20, 12:21 PM
Etienne said...: "The next step in to pardon Flynn since the Federal Judge refuse to bring his sentencing to a close."

Flynn screwed-up. He didn't have the money to fight, so he took the plea to get it over.

Now that everyone knows he took a plea, the best thing is to get it thrown out.

If he accepts a pardon, then the plea stands... forever.; 4/4/20, 12:33 PM
Gospace said...: Amadeus 48 said...
Yawn. Good riddance.

Lots of comments I can agree with, including this one. Not anything new to add, it's pretty much already all said.; 4/4/20, 12:39 PM
Josephbleau said...: Sniff should know that the only thing that happens in the dead of night is CNN imbedded FBI raids on Republican Party connected persons, where their wives get searched in their nighties.; 4/4/20, 1:05 PM
Francisco D said...: Chuck said... “I remember when TrumpWorld had their hearts all a flutter over the Horowitz report. Well, Horowitz just condemned this firing....”

Gee. I wonder how Lil' Chuckles gets these links so quickly.

It is almost like he is a DNC insider.; 4/4/20, 1:50 PM
Clyde said...: About fucking time.; 4/4/20, 1:50 PM
Original Mike said...: Chuck said... “I remember when TrumpWorld had their hearts all a flutter over the Horowitz report. Well, Horowitz just condemned this firing....”

Contrast that with Chuck, who didn't give a shit that the FBI lied repeatedly to the FISA court.; 4/4/20, 1:55 PM
Char Char Binks, Esq. said...: Why didn’t Atkinson fire Trump for violating his Ukraine policy? Oh, that’s right; he tried, but failed.; 4/4/20, 2:27 PM
Martin said...: Good riddance. He "sounded the alarm" outside of his authority and based on nothing actionable, clearly as part of a conspiracy to impeach the president, which impeachment in turn played no small part in distracting us all as the Wuhan coronavirus started.

Anyway, if Schiff is upset it must be good.; 4/4/20, 3:12 PM
narciso said...: ah the perky natasha Bertrand, has the byline, she rarely got anything right, in the last pantomime,; 4/4/20, 3:14 PM
Kevin said...: Why anyone quotes Adam Schiff on anything is beyond me.

Yet the same people who want to keep Trump off the airwaves because of his "lying" have no trouble quoting Schiff without hesitation or discussion of his past inaccuracies.; 4/4/20, 3:33 PM
traditionalguy said...: Hydroxychloroquine has been stopping the virus cold. The price of ventilators will be $5 soon. But a strong military force is still going in to the major port cities for the next several weeks... to help eliminate the invisible enemy.; 4/4/20, 3:49 PM
Ray - SoCal said...: Trump is daring the Democrats to investigate him on Atkinson, with the recent FISA Report showing the SNAFU of FISA that Aktinson was in the middle of.; 4/4/20, 4:10 PM
narciso said...: well miss Bertrand was on the receiving end of the fusion gps receiving tray.; 4/4/20, 4:21 PM
Michael K said...: the recent FISA Report showing the SNAFU of FISA that Aktinson was in the middle of.

Andy McCarthy is raising the question of repealing the FISA law.

There will be no meaningful reform of foreign-intelligence surveillance until we are willing to confront two uncomfortable facts. First, there is nothing about being an expert in law that makes a judge institutionally competent to participate in, much less oversee, intelligence collection and analysis. The only proper role of the federal judiciary in this thicket is as a forum for lawsuits by people whose rights have been violated by government intelligence agents. In FISA, Congress has thrust judges into the position of participating in the violations.; 4/4/20, 4:34 PM
Michael K said...: Etienne said...
"The next step in to pardon Flynn since the Federal Judge refuse to bring his sentencing to a close."

Flynn screwed-up. He didn't have the money to fight, so he took the plea to get it over.

Now that everyone knows he took a plea, the best thing is to get it thrown out.

If he accepts a pardon, then the plea stands... forever.

Yes ! No pardon. Maybe Trump should pay his legal fees, assuming he can't recover from Meuller and Comey.; 4/4/20, 4:36 PM
PJ said...: @brylun, thank you for the link to the April 3 FISA court order. Perhaps it's all smoke and mirrors, but the tone of the preamble in the first two pages seemed stern, especially that "professed."; 4/4/20, 5:33 PM
rcocean said...: The stupid RINOs are charging to the rescue of Atkinson. Grassley is demanding a "Better explanation" while corrupt Burr says the IG "must be independent of pressure". Yeah, what does that have to do with what Atkinson did, or why he was fired? Trump didn't "pressure him". He was fired him because Atkinson was conspiring with Schiff to to help impeach Trump.; 4/4/20, 5:35 PM
Gk1 said...: I think it was 'Undercover Huber' or another site that pointed out Atkinson would have to be termed/rotated out in Q1 of 2020 because of an internal process as an IG. Even had Trump wanted to fire Atkinson immediately after he was Impeachment acquittal, it wouldn't have been possible and the earliest we would see him out was March of 2020. Good riddance to bad rubbish.; 4/4/20, 6:14 PM
Gk1 said...: "Andy McCarthy is raising the question of repealing the FISA law." Fuck that guy. Andy's been an enabler of the deep state since RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA! started in 2017. From vouching to Comey and Mueller's "rock solid reputations" to a professed "confidence and high regard for the checks and balances built in to FISA" Andy has been wrong the entire time. He's as tiresome to hear from as Paul Mirengoff at "Powerline" when commenting on Trump. Its always "Yeah it was wrong to spy on Trump but....I don't think it's helpful the president tweet about that". Watch Andy stick up for Atkinson with a sort of "I don't agree with some of the things he did but its unbecoming for the president to comment on his firing"; 4/4/20, 6:20 PM
ken in tx said...: Obama fired the Americorp IG when he found out he was investigating people linked to Obama. That intimidated the other IGs and informed them of what to stay away from. This allowed him to claim that he never had any scandals. Trump did not have the backing of the press and the federal bureaucracy to do anything similar at an early stage.; 4/4/20, 8:25 PM
Greg the class traitor said...: President Donald Trump has fired the intelligence community’s chief watchdog, Michael Atkinson, who completely changed the rules about "whistleblowing" in order to allow a completely illegitimate "complaint" to be used in the Democrats then newest hoax attack on the President

Fixed it for you; 4/5/20, 1:51 PM