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Opinions: Trump shreds another Republican's life's work
{edited to fix the links}
Opinions
Trump shreds another Republican’s life’s work
By Dana Milbank
Columnist
May 27, 2020 at 7:12 p.m. EDT
It has become a hallmark of the Trump era: the shameful end to a distinguished career.
Now it’s Sen. Chuck Grassley’s turn. For 40 years in the Senate, the Iowa Republican has been a champion of accountability, defending the oversight that exposes government corruption. But now the 86-year-old is watching, weakly, as President Trump shreds Grassley’s life’s work.
In just two months, Trump has:
But don’t worry. Chuck Grassley has written a letter!
In fact, he has written two. And they contain stern phrases about how the administration “appears to have circumvented Congress’s role” and its “obvious conflicts that unduly threaten the statutorily required independence of inspectors general.”
Trump predictably ignored Grassley, then finally had the White House counsel respond Tuesday by telling Grassley to pound sand. Grassley noted that the response did not offer a “good reason” for Trump’s actions and said “the American people will be left speculating whether political or self interests are to blame.”
Ya think?
{snip}
Dana Milbank
Dana Milbank is an op-ed columnist. He sketches the foolish, the fallacious and the felonious in politics. Follow https://twitter.com/Milbank
Trump shreds another Republican’s life’s work
By Dana Milbank
Columnist
May 27, 2020 at 7:12 p.m. EDT
It has become a hallmark of the Trump era: the shameful end to a distinguished career.
Now it’s Sen. Chuck Grassley’s turn. For 40 years in the Senate, the Iowa Republican has been a champion of accountability, defending the oversight that exposes government corruption. But now the 86-year-old is watching, weakly, as President Trump shreds Grassley’s life’s work.
In just two months, Trump has:
• Fired the inspector general at the State Department who was looking into possible improprieties by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
• Replaced the acting inspector general at the Transportation Department who was investigating allegations of favoritism by Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao benefiting her husband, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
• Dismissed the inspector general of the intelligence community who forwarded to Congress the whistleblower complaint that kicked off impeachment, while firing or punishing others who participated in the inquiry.
• Ousted the inspector general of pandemic relief spending and replaced him with a loyalist from the White House legal staff who developed the White House strategy of denying information to Congress during the impeachment probe.
• Replaced the acting inspector general at the Department of Health and Human Services after publicly blasting her report documenting critical shortages of protective equipment at hospitals.
But don’t worry. Chuck Grassley has written a letter!
In fact, he has written two. And they contain stern phrases about how the administration “appears to have circumvented Congress’s role” and its “obvious conflicts that unduly threaten the statutorily required independence of inspectors general.”
Trump predictably ignored Grassley, then finally had the White House counsel respond Tuesday by telling Grassley to pound sand. Grassley noted that the response did not offer a “good reason” for Trump’s actions and said “the American people will be left speculating whether political or self interests are to blame.”
Ya think?
{snip}
Dana Milbank
Dana Milbank is an op-ed columnist. He sketches the foolish, the fallacious and the felonious in politics. Follow https://twitter.com/Milbank
5 replies
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