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.)
3 comments:
When you're a criminal, you do everything possible to keep from being caught. If you're going to rob a bank, you make a plan to maximize your protection and you take out the guards first. We don't have to be stable geniuses to see that Trump just wants watchdogs, guards, and overseers to be gone so he can commit more crimes.
Jeez, we sit by and watch him pull this shit and nobody does anything! There is no reason for him to replace the watchdogs, other than revenge or retaliation for them doing their jobs. Why can't Congress do something?
I loathe this president and his administration and I'm frustrated that he continues to destroy the underpinnings of democracy without anyone stopping him. We are steuggling for our very survival while this fat fuck paves the way for more grift and corruption.
donnah -- He may think he's shutting off investigations and whistleblowing, but the more he tries, the more people at all ranks of government, including Congress, will expose his criminal and unethical behavior. He's delusional in thinking that replacing IGs will end probes into his corruption.
Doesn't matter how many probes there are. One only has to look at the trump2020 bumper stickers and the maga hats. He'll win any election that is held.And there the fact that Wisconsin is a 1/50th scale model of national politics and what good common sense republicans can accomplish.Having said that, the base still needs to be fed. Come summer he'll cancel the presidential election. We just can't take these kinds of chances. Mitch will agree, citing the fact that the founding fathers, never imagined what our president is facing. And now that the corona virus has been proven to be a hoax etc,etc,.....How the FU do we fix this?
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