Former acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker told Newsmax TV on Monday that President Donald Trump is trying to balance his focus between the pandemic and the economy, after his firing of the intelligence community’s inspector general.
When asked on “Newsmax Now” whether the recent firing of Michael Atkinson shows where the president’s priorities lie, Whitaker said that Trump likely fired Atkinson when he had a spare moment.
“The president obviously is focused on dealing with this pandemic, and also dealing with the economy, and maybe that was when he had a chance to focus on this issue.”
He noted that “everyone who services in the administration, especially political appointees, serves at the pleasure of the president, and if the president loses confidence in you…then the president has the absolute right to follow the procedures to find someone that he has confidence in.”
Whitaker added that he thinks the situation has been “a little bit blown out of proportion in the grand scheme of things.”
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Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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