I wrote below about the president’s firing of the Intelligence Community Inspector General. It looks like he’s making a major power grab:
Sources close to President Trump expect him to fire more inspectors general across his government, after his Friday night removal of Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community I.G. who alerted Congress to the complaint that triggered impeachment.
Conservative allies of the president have told him that these I.G.s are members of the “deep state” trying to undermine him. Trump appears to have embraced that view.
- A conservative ally of the president said inspectors general are part of the U.S. government’s “regulatory and compliance systems/organs” that protect the establishment.
- The subject of “deep state” I.G.s has been discussed within the Groundswell network, the influential circle of conservative activists helmed by Ginni Thomas.
The outster of Atkinson, to take effect in 30 days, comes amid a broader initiative to purge the administration of officials seen as disloyal to the president.
- The timing of the disclosure, as the nation struggles to manage the virus crisis, means it may go unnoticed by many Americans.
It’s obvious that they are making this move during the emergency for just that reason. This is something the Democrats should make a huge, huge deal out of and make sure the country is made aware of it. For him to do this in the midst of this catastrophe says a lot. Even some cult numbers on the fence might find this rank opportunism to be a bit much. (Ok, that’s wishful thinking. But some independents who lean GOP could be a bit taken aback.)
I don’t know if he’s too stupid to go full fascist. And the people around him are not exactly stable geniuses either. But his musings yesterday about how he doesn’t believe in vote-by-mail along with this should get your antennae twitching. It’s entirely possible that they will instigate some otherwise unthinkable election shenanigans.