GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley Demands Trump Give ‘Detailed Reasoning’ For Firing Inspector General
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) wrote a letter to President Donald Trump on Monday demanding a “detailed reasoning” for the firings of Inspector General of the Department of State Steve Linick and Inspector General of the Intelligence Community Michael Atkinson.
Linick — who was reportedly investigating Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “for suspected abuse of office” — was fired by President Trump on Friday, while Atkinson was fired in early April.
In a letter on Monday, Grassley attempted to appeal to the president by describing inspector generals as “the ultimate swamp drainers,” before demanding an explanation for the dismissals of both men.
“As you know, Congress created inspectors general to combat waste, fraud, and abuse, and to be independent watchdogs holding federal agencies accountable to the taxpayer. In light of their important and unique role, they report to both the President and Congress. To guard them from unwarranted political attacks from all sides, including from officials that they are duty bound to critique, Congress provided IGs with some additional protections,” Grassley wrote, noting, “One of those is the requirement that the President provide notice and explanation to Congress 30 days before the removal of an IG.”
Grassley explained, “As mentioned in previous letters, Congress’s intent is clear that an expression of lost confidence, without further explanation, is not sufficient to fulfill the requirements of the IG Reform Act. This is in large part because Congress intended that inspectors general only be removed when there is clear evidence of unfitness, wrongdoing, or failure to perform the duties of the office.”
“IGs are intended to be equal opportunity investigators and are designed to combat waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct without regard to political affiliation,” the senator went on, before calling inspector generals “the ultimate swamp drainers.”
“Removal of IGs without explanation could create a chilling effect in the oversight community, and risks decreasing the quantity, quality, fidelity, and veracity of their reports,” Grassley wrote, adding, “As you work toward filling IG roles, it is absolutely imperative than any acting leadership do not create obvious conflicts that unduly threaten the statutorily required independence of inspectors general.”
Grassley wrapped up his letter by stating that inspector generals “should be free from partisan political interference, from either the Executive or Legislative branch,” declaring, “I want to work with you to ensure that the enemy here is wasteful government spending, not the government watchdogs charged with protecting the taxpayer.”
“To that end, please provide a detailed reasoning for the removal of Inspector General Linick no later than June 1, 2020. Please also provide me and my colleagues a written response to our letter of April 8, 2020, regarding the removal of Inspector General Atkinson as soon as possible,” he concluded.
