Demagogue and would-be authoritarian Donald "The Chosen One" Trump is going after one of the Federal government's key bulwarks against illegal behavior: U.S. Inspectors General. His first salvo was to fire Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson last Friday, an act of vengeance against the man who forwarded the Ukraine shakedown whistleblower allegation to Congress, triggering Trump's impeachment.
Yesterday, the Defense Department's IG Glenn Fine was removed by Trump as the head of the coronavirus spending oversight board, signaling that Trump wants free reign to steer funds to cronies, political allies, and likely his own shady enterprises regardless of the pandemic. On Monday, Department of Health and Human Services acting IG Christi A. Grimm was attacked by Trump for an IG report that surveyed 300 hospitals and disclosed, contrary to his happy talk, a shortage of coronavirus testing in hospitals, among other weaknesses:
"'Did I hear the word inspector general? Really?' Trump said when pressed about the Health and Human Services watchdog report. 'Give me the name of the inspector general,' Trump demanded, before asking, 'Could politics be entered into that?' The acting Health and Human Services inspector general, Christi A. Grimm, is a career employee who took over the position early this year in an interim capacity." (our emphasis)As Axios points out, Trump equates Inspectors General not with fighting waste, fraud and abuse, but with the "deep state" of people trying to bring him down. He's also demanding loyalty oaths from any new appointee, as would a dictator or absolute ruler, disregarding the fact that the only oath they swear is to the Constitution. Post-impeachment Trump is not only seeking vengeance against those that caught him extorting a foreign government for domestic political purposes. He's gunning for any IG that will contradict his lies and pursue investigations into his corrupt Administration's actions. November can't come too soon.
BONUS: The Washington Post concludes Trump acts as though has something to hide. (Spoiler alert: he does.)
