PD Editorial: Trump purges the government’s watchdogs

Give Donald Trump credit where it's due - the man knows a memorable phrase when he hears one.

One of the expressions he has gotten a lot of mileage from is “drain the swamp.”

As for actually cleaning up Washington, however, Trump once again is barreling down the Beltway in the wrong direction.

With Friday's late-night dismissal of Steve Linick, the State Department's inspector general, Trump has fired or demoted four government watchdogs in the past six weeks.

Trump said he fired Linick at the request of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the subject of an ethics inquiry initiated by - who else? - Linick.

In the first of his Friday night purges, on April 3, Trump fired Michael Atkinson, the inspector general for the intelligence community. Atkinson handled the whistleblower complaint accusing the president of trying to coerce the government of Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, which resulted in Trump's impeachment.

Three days later, Trump removed Glenn Fine, the acting inspector general for the Defense Department, a move that disqualified him from an oversight role in the disbursement of funds from the $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief bill passed by Congress.

On the same day, Trump publicly berated Christi Grimm, the principal inspector general at the Department of Health and Human Services, who published a survey of hospitals around the country showing severe shortages of personal protective equipment for medical workers treating coronavirus patients. On May 4, he axed Grimm in another Friday night firing.

IGs, as they are commonly known, are charged with ferreting out inefficiency and corruption in the federal government. There are about 70 spread across the executive branch, and their record of nonpartisan service, holding Democratic and Republican administrations accountable, lends enormous credibility to their findings.

Trump's firings - and his appointment of successors with close political ties to the White House - threatens to undermine that credibility and turn the IGs from watchdogs to lapdogs.

Inspectors general have faced political pressure before. But they generally have enjoyed bipartisan support in Congress, because Democrats and Republicans understand the need for accountability in the federal government.

The coronavirus relief bill was no exception. Congress specifically called for an oversight panel modeled on one that saved taxpayers $10 billion after the Wall Street bailout bill was passed in 2008. A panel of inspectors general picked Fine, who served four presidential administrations from both parties, to lead the effort.

His removal, as Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, D-New York, said, was an insult to taxpayers.

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa gathered signatures on a bipartisan letter seeking an explanation from the White House of Atkinson's ouster. Trump told reporters he was fired for turning the whistleblower report over to Congress - his obligation under the law.

Trump's shabby treatment of Grimm was another obvious example of retribution.

Here is a clear opportunity for bipartisan congressional action.

If lawmakers are serious about maintaining the integrity of government watchdogs - and they should be - they should shield the IGs from political interference by a president of either party.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, and Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tennessee, have introduced the Inspectors General Independence Act, which would establish seven-year terms and allow removal only for just cause, such as neglect of duty, malfeasance or permanent incapacity.

The federal government spends billions of tax dollars. It needs to be accountable to the public. Their bill is a step in the right direction. Even better would be replacing Trump with a president who knows swamp cleaners from swamp creatures.

You can send a letter to the editor at letters@pressdemocrat.com.