Posted on 04/06/2020 1:40:32 PM PDT by LibWhacker
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, is breaking with President Trump's decision to fire Michael Atkinson, the inspector general for the intelligence community, saying his removal was "not warranted."
"While I recognize that the President has the authority to appoint and remove Inspectors General, I believe Inspector General Atkinson served the intelligence community and the American people well, and his removal was not warranted," she said in a statement over the weekend.
Collins noted that by giving the heads of the House and Senate Intelligence committees a 30-day notification that he was removing Atkinson, Trump followed a 2008 law on inspectors general that she co-authored. But the senator, who is facing a tough reelection race in the fall, added that she didn't find Trump's "rationale" for firing Atkinson to be "persuasive."
Trump sent shockwaves through Washington when he announced on Friday night, in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, that he was firing Atkinson, who had handled the whistleblower complaint related to Trump's actions toward Ukraine that sparked the House impeachment inquiry.
Trump defended the firing during a press conference on Saturday and called Atkinson a "disgrace" to inspectors general.
"I thought he did a terrible job. Absolutely terrible. He took a whistleblower report, which turned out to be a fake report ... and he brought it to Congress with an emergency," Trump told reporters at a White House briefing. "Not a big Trump fan, that I can tell you."
Atkinson, in a statement, said he believes Trump fired him for carrying out his "legal obligations."
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who has defended whistleblowers and authored whistleblower legislation, said "more details are needed from the administration." Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) said it was Trump's "prerogative" to fire him but "I think we should get more detail."
Collins has lost it. Hardly the first time.
Not your call.
One would think that a US Senator would realize the very future of this country is a fragile as a Faberge egg right now but you would be wrong.
Is it possible to have PMS for 30 years?
Who cares what she thinks. They serve at the Presidents pleasure.
What the hell is wrong with the people of Maine?
That is the 1900’s way of the govt, similar to shifting priests.
I applaud President Trump.
Shut up Susan.
Collins refuses to let AOC
be the stupidest one in Congress ... again.
The scumbag was a POS! Spit,good riddance!
Those are the details I’d like to see.
Susan Collins opens her mouth another day to be proven yet again how vapid and ignorant she is.
How long oh Lord
Collins is do dammmed unreliable
Joe DiGenova was just on the Howie Carr Show (Boston)about 30 minutes ago and spoke of Atkinson as being just about the dirtiest of the dirty.
As bad as she is she’s the best your gonna get from Maine.
Who cares he is fired
Not only warranted, it was vital to restoring credibility to intelligence community.
Mitt won’t be far behind.
AND, it was a statement by her, not the usual reply to MSM’s routine act “always ask a Republican what so-and-so fellow Republican did or said.”
Ole Shakey needs to step back! She’s not in the Executive Branch.
Collins is a pure empty headed jackass and needs to be impeached.
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