Dismissed Inspector General Atkinson: 'I Was Fired For Doing My Job'

Late last Friday, President Donald Trump unexpectedly dismissed Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community inspector general. Atkinson has since spoken out against the president who he believes fired him for “having faithfully discharged my legal obligations” in his decision to follow up on the Ukraine whistleblower complaint.

In September, Atkinson revealed the complaint to Congress, which accused Trump of having pressured the Ukrainian government to open an investigation into his political rivals. While the Trump administration delayed Atkinson, he eventually shared the report with lawmakers on the Hill. This would serve to open up an investigation by the House and, ultimately, impeachment.

Atkinson said that he believed he was fired simply for his role in releasing the whistleblower complaint, according to Politico.

“It is hard not to think that the President’s loss of confidence in me derives from my having faithfully discharged my legal obligations as an independent and impartial Inspector General,” Atkinson said in a statement Sunday.

“Inspectors General are able to fulfill their critical watchdog functions because, by law, they are supposed to be independent of both the Executive agencies they oversee and of Congress,” he added.

Throughout the impeachment process, Trump and Republicans had been adamant about uncovering the identity of the whistleblower. Atkinson, however, refused to disclose that information, to their consternation.

In his letters explaining his decision to dismiss Atkinson, Trump said that he’d lost confidence in the inspector general, though he did not elaborate on his reasoning. Legally, Trump is required to give Atkinson a 30-day period before being made to step down from his post. However, he was placed on administrative leave immediately last Friday. This has made lawmakers — including Republicans — question the legality of the action.

Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz condemned Atkinson’s dismissal, noting that he was well-respected and had acted “by the book” in his handling of the whistleblower complaint.

Trump has continued to defend his decision. On Sunday, he said, “I thought he did a terrible job. Absolutely terrible. He took this terrible, inaccurate whistleblower report and he brought it to Congress,” the president said.