Writing his resignation letter to take a shot a 73-year-old President Donald Trump, 55-year-old former Inspector General [IG] for the intelligence Community Michael Atkinson said his peace, denying that he did anything improper turning the “whistleblower” complaint over to Congress. “It’s hard not to think that the President’s loss of confidence in me derives from my having faithfully discharged my legal obligations as and independent and impartial Inspector General, and from my commitment to continue to do so,” Atkinson wrote in his resignation letter. What Atkinson doesn’t say is that he turned over a so-called “whistleblower” complaint which was really a political hit against Trump. Atkinson acts like he didn’t know that the “whistleblower” complaint was not crafted by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
Atkinson in his “independent and impartial” role as IG didn’t assess whether or the not the “whistleblower” complaint was a political hit by Democrats to find a way to impeach Trump since Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Report blew up in their face. No, Atkinson’s proud of what he did, not considering with complicity or not, he was sucked into a political hit against Trump. Atkinson knew that Schiff lied about his contact with the “whistleblower,” then reneged on his story, admitting that he did have contact. Atkinson didn’t bother asking Schiff how much contact and whether or not he helped the “whistleblower” write the complaint that Atkinson thought was so compelling he felt ethically obligated to give it to Congress. When Atkinson doubts that Trump really had “full confidence” in him. Without vetting the “whistleblower” complaint, how could Atkinson have confidence in anything?
Atkinson’s letter tells his side of the story only, not that he faithfully did his job as an “independent and impartial” Inspector General. Atkinson’s letter is strangely reminiscent of Capt. Brett Crozier who wrote a four-page letter leaked to the press about how Covid-19 infected his crew on the nuclear-powered USS Theodore Roosevelt. Crozier went over the deep end, violated Navy protocol, leaking private information to the press, when it was proprietary military information. IG Atkinson essentially did the same thing, giving his tell-all tale of woe to the press but, more importantly, to Trump’s detractors in the Democrat Party. Atkinson now becomes former Vice President Joe Biden’s Khizer Muzzam Khan, a Gold Star family member that Hillary unleashed on Trump in the 2016 campaign. Don’t be surprised to see Atkinson at the “virtual” Democratic National Convention.
Atkinson showed why he was worthless in his position as IG. He bought lock-stock-and-barrel Democrat arguments why Trump should be impeached. Had Atkinson had any integrity, he would not put his story out for the press and Democrat Party. Trump’s detractors in the media and Democrat Party look for anything to discredit the president. Atkinson becomes the latest cause célèbre for the anti-Trump press, just like when he fired former European Union Amb. Gordon Sondland and formed Ukraine adviser Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, both of whom testified against Trump in the Democrat impeachment proceedings. Atkinson is more egregious because it goes to the heart of the independence of the Inspector General. Atkinson couldn’t see how he failed to vet the so-called “whistleblower” before rubber-stamping it for Congress. If Atkinson knew that Schiff monkeyed around with the “whislteblower” report, would he still refer it to Congress out of pure integrity?
Atkinson’s letter implied that he was fired without cause, due to Trump’s vindictiveness over his role in validating the “whistleblower” complaint. Federal Whistleblower statutes relate more to government corruption of waste, fraud and mismanagement, not tattletaling on your boss’s private conversation with a head-of-state. No IG knows whether or not there’s something inappropriate or impeachable in a conversation. Democrats twisted Trump’s transcript of the Zelensky phone call into knots to make it fit some perverted definition of high-crimes-and-misdemeanors. Atkinson can’t tell himself that Trump’s conversation with 40-year-old Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warranted a referral to Congress. Atkinson wants to justify his egregious political attempt to sabotage a sitting president. There was nothing in the transcript that warranted an urgent referral to Congress.
Former FBI Director James Comey did the same thing saying he heard just horrendous things about candidate and then President Trump that he justified a counterintelligence investigation. Comey told at least two Congressional Committees what they wanted to hear because they despised Trump and wanted him removed from office. Before that, Comey’s FBI did everything possible to prevent Trump from becoming president, including tapping his phones. What Atkinson did in his job as IG was equally corrupt as Comey, the opposite, as Atkinson says in his letter, of executing his job with integrity. Atkinson gave his report about the “whistleblower” complaint to acting National Intelligence Director Joseph Maguire, expressing “urgent concern.” If Atkinson were really honest, he’d admit he worked with the resistance in the “deep state” to get rid of Trump.
