Michael Atkinson, the inspector general removed by President Donald Trump on Friday, said he believes he was fired for having properly handled a whistleblower complaint that became a centerpiece of the case for impeachment.
"I am disappointed and saddened that President Trump has decided to remove me as the inspector general of the intelligence community because I did not have his 'fullest confidence,'" Atkinson said in a statement issued Sunday.
"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 also called on whistleblowers to overcome any fears and come forward with information about waste and illegality in the government despite the administration's reprisals.
"The American people deserve an honest and effective government," he said. "They are counting on you to use authorized channels to bravely speak up -- there is no disgrace for doing so."
He added, "Please do not allow recent events to silence your voices."
That Atkinson issued a statement at all is unusual -- inspectors general usually stay silent when removed, but the circumstances leading to his firing are also highly unusual.
Inspectors general are traditionally removed for "cause" -- usually involving misconduct. In Atkinson's case, there was no apparent misconduct. Rather, Trump said in a letter to Congress on Friday night that it was "no longer the case" that Atkinson had his "fullest confidence."
On Saturday, Trump elaborated on his decision. "I thought he did a terrible job. Absolutely terrible," he said. "That man is a disgrace to IGs."
Trump's move, however, drew rebukes from Democrats and former intelligence officials who have served in Republican administrations.
Michael Horowitz, the chairman of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency and the Justice Department inspector general, said in a statement Saturday that Atkinson is known throughout the inspector general community for his "integrity, professionalism and commitment to the rule of law and independent oversight."
That, Horowitz said, "includes his actions in handling the Ukraine whistleblower complaint, which the then-Acting Director of National Intelligence stated in congressional testimony was done 'by the book' and consistent with the law."
Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus, demanded more information on Atkinson's removal. Inspectors general "often serve as an outlet to whistleblowers" who "shine a light" on problems in government, he said.
"They help drain the swamp," Grassley said, "so any removal demands an explanation."
Atkinson received a complaint last August from an intelligence community official who raised concerns about Trump pressuring the Ukrainian president to undertake investigations of a likely political rival in the 2020 presidential campaign. He found the complaint both "urgent" and credible, and following the whistleblower law, he sought to have it transmitted to Congress within seven days.
The administration at first tried to block it but relented following, among other things, media revelations about the complaint's substance. The subsequent firestorm led to Trump's eventual impeachment.
Trump made it clear to aides that he was not happy with Atkinson. On Friday, Trump gave notice of his intent to fire him, the latest in a long line of officials removed by the president after he deemed them disloyal.
"Although I have proudly served as a political appointee since May 2018," Atkinson said, "I have never been a political or partisan person." He has served 17 years in government, most of those in the Justice Department.
Information for this article was contributed by Ellen Nakashima of The Washington Post and Charlie Savage of The New York Times.
A Section on 04/07/2020