Michael Atkinson

Trump Fires 5 Inspectors General in 6 Weeks to Block Investigations

| Importance: 8/10

President Trump fired five inspectors general in six weeks during spring 2020, each investigating potential administration wrongdoing. The purge included State Department IG Steve Linick (investigating Pompeo’s use of staff for personal errands and Saudi arms sales), Intelligence Community IG …

Donald Trump Steve Linick Michael Atkinson Glenn Fine Mitch Behm +1 more inspectors-general obstruction-of-justice oversight accountability authoritarian-tactics
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Trump Inspector General Friday Night Massacre Systematically Accelerates WHIG Oversight Destruction Precedent for Constitutional Crisis Operations

| Importance: 9/10

President Trump’s systematic firing of Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson on April 3, 2020, followed by systematic purge of independent oversight officials, represents the acceleration of WHIG oversight destruction precedent enabling constitutional crisis operations …

Donald Trump Michael Atkinson Glenn Fine Mitch Behm Christi Grimm +4 more inspector-general-purge whig-template-implementation oversight-destruction-acceleration systematic-institutional-capture constitutional-crisis-operations +4 more
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Intelligence Community Whistleblower Files Urgent Complaint About Trump-Zelensky Call

| Importance: 10/10

An intelligence community whistleblower filed a formal complaint on August 12, 2019, detailing President Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky and the subsequent White House efforts to conceal the conversation. The complaint described how “multiple White House …

IC Whistleblower Michael Atkinson Joseph Maguire Donald Trump First Impeachment Whistleblower Ukraine Intelligence Community Congressional Oversight
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