Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, is condemning President Donald Trump's firings of internal government watchdogs as a "threat to accountable democracy."
In a tweet Saturday, Romney denounced the firing of State Department Inspector General Steve Linick —the latest IG to get the ax this year.
"The firings of multiple Inspectors General is unprecedented; doing so without good cause chills the independence essential to their purpose,” Romney wrote. “It is a threat to accountable democracy and a fissure in the constitutional balance of power.”
Romney was the only Senate Republican who voted to convict Trump of abuse of power earlier this year.
The Linick firing triggered an immediate blowback from top Democrats.
In remarks to CNN, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., the ranking member on the Foreign Relations Committee, called it “another Friday night massacre.” And House Foreign Affairs chairman Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., announced he’d investigate the firing.
Though Republicans have been mostly quiet about Linick’s removal, which takes effect in 30 days, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, expressed concern about the president’s non-specific reason.
"As I've said before, Congress requires written reasons justifying an IG's removal,” he said in a statement. "A general lack of confidence simply is not sufficient detail to satisfy Congress."
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in a series of tweets, agreed.
"The President has not provided the kind of justification for the removal of IG Linick required by this law," she said.
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