Trump fires Inspector General of Intelligence

For months, the impeachment process against US President Trump was the dominant topic. After his acquittal, he took action against supposed opponents. In the shadow of the Corona crisis, Trump's revenge now hits an important figure in the Ukraine affair.

Washington (dpa) - After his acquittal in impeachment proceedings over the Ukraine affair, US President Donald Trump dismisses Inspector General of Intelligence, Michael Atkinson.

A letter from Trump to the chairs of the Senate and House Secret Service committees said he had lost confidence in Atkinson. This played a central role in getting the Ukraine affair rolling, which ultimately led to impeachment proceedings against Trump in Congress. According to Trump's announcement, Atkinson will leave office in 30 days. The US president did not name a successor.

As internal secret service supervisor, Atkinson had forwarded a whistleblower complaint to Congress regarding a Trump call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj. According to the allegations, Trump is said to have pushed Selenskyj into an investigation against his democratic rival Joe Biden to influence the 2020 US presidential election in his favor.

This led to impeachment proceedings against Trump, which the Senate acquitted in early February. Trumps Republicans have the majority in this chamber of parliament. The House of Representatives, controlled by the Democrats, had indicted Trump in December for abuse of power and interference with the Congressional investigation. Trump spoke of a "witch hunt" and threatened whistleblowers in the "serious consequences" affair.

After Trump's acquittal, a National Security Council expert in the White House, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, and US Ambassador to the EU, Gordon Sondland, were released from their duties. Both had testified against the President in Congress after being summoned to pay a fine.

Sharp criticism of Atkinson's dismissal came from Democrats in Congress. Senate Democratic minority leader Chuck Schumer wrote on Twitter: "Michael Atkinson is a man of integrity who has served our nation for almost two decades. That he was fired because he had the courage to tell the powerful the truth, makes him a patriot. "

House Secret Service Committee chairman Adam Schiff described Trump's nighttime decision to fire Atkinson as another attempt to retaliate against "those who dare to expose the president's misdeeds."