Donald Trump has fired Glenn Fine, the Pentagon inspector general appointed to oversee the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package.
Politico reports: “That decision, which began circulating on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning, effectively removed Fine from his role overseeing the coronavirus relief effort, since the new law permits only current inspectors general to fill the position. … Fine's removal is Trump's latest incursion into the community of independent federal watchdogs — punctuated most dramatically by his late Friday ouster of the intelligence community's inspector general, Michael Atkinson, whose handling of a whistleblower report ultimately led to Trump's impeachment.”
The Hill reports: “The move follows several steps Trump has taken to combat oversight of the bailout fund. After signing the relief package into law last month, the president issued a signing statement saying he would not allow the special inspector general for the relief program to report to Congress without his supervision. And last week, he nominated one of his own White House lawyers, Brian Miller, for the special inspector general position.”
