Chuck Grassley is now openly berating Trump on Twitter over his watchdog firings


Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is bringing out the big guns — by tagging President Trump in his tweets.
On Thursday, Grassley announced his intention to "place holds" on approving Trump administration nominees until he receives satisfactory answers pertaining to the firings of two federal watchdogs, Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson and State Department Inspector General Steve Linick, CNBC reports. Atkinson was removed in April after informing Congress about the whistleblower complaint regarding Trump's communications with Ukraine that eventually led to his impeachment, while Linick was fired on May 15 on the recommendation of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was reportedly under at least two investigations by Linick's office at the time.
"All I want is a reason 4 firing these ppl," Grassley, who USA Today describes as "usually a staunch Trump ally," wrote Thursday, adding "CHECKS&BALANCES."
Subscribe to 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.
Grassley's initial pleas to the administration didn't call out the president specifically, but by Friday Grassley was no longer holding back:
"Canning a watchdog without good reason is bad," Grassley added in a follow-up tweet. "Never even hiring one is outrageous." Trump, who is notoriously Very Online, has yet to respond.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Trump set to hit Canada with 35% tariffs
Speed Read The president accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of failing to stop the cross-border flow of fentanyl
-
Mahmoud Khalil files $20M claim over ICE detention
Speed Read This is the 'first damages complaint' brought by an individual targeted by the Trump's administration's 'crackdown' on Gaza war protesters
-
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs
Speed Read He accused Brazil's current president of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling