Trump is reportedly mulling firing intelligence community inspector general


President Trump is angry at Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community's inspector general, due to his handling of the Ukraine whistleblower complaint, and has repeatedly brought up firing him, four people with knowledge of the matter told The New York Times.
The whistleblower flagged a July 25 phone call in which Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate his political rivals. The complaint was filed in August, and after Atkinson found it to be credible, he forwarded the report to Joseph Maguire, the government's top intelligence official. Under the law, Maguire was required to turn the complaint over to Congress, but he did not provide it right away.
Atkinson told lawmakers about the complaint, and amid pressure from Democrats, Maguire finally gave it to Congress. Maguire said the Justice Department told him Atkinson didn't have authority to deliver the complaint because Trump is not a member of the intelligence community. Trump appointed Atkinson in 2017, and now he thinks he is disloyal and conspiring with Democrats, the Times reports.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Recently, Trump has mentioned several times to aides that he wants to fire Atkinson, but two people familiar with the matter told the Times they believe he is just venting, not seriously contemplating getting rid of him. Inspectors general can be fired by the president, but only if they are deemed incompetent or there's a case of misconduct.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Home Depots are the new epicenters of ICE raids
In the Spotlight The chain has not provided many comments on the ongoing raids
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?
Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
-
The pros and cons of banning cellphones in classrooms
Pros and cons The devices could be major distractions
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants