Washington (WBAP/KLIF) President Donald Trump removed Glenn Fine, the acting inspector general for the Defense Department, from his post.
The action means that Fine will not chair the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee tasked with overseeing 2-trillion dollars in emergency coronavirus funding.
Glenn Fine is the acting Defense Department inspector general. He was selected last month for the oversight position.
In a shake-up of the inspector general positions this week, Politico reports that Mr. Trump also nominated Brian Miller, a White House lawyer and former federal watchdog, to oversee the new $500 billion coronavirus relief fund.
The new post is one of three layers of spending oversight created by the stimulus law.
In reaction, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., who chairs the Oversight and Reform Committee, told USA Today that by removing Fine and other watchdogs, Trump seeks to undermine oversight of the White House’s “chaotic” response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“President Trump’s actions are a direct insult to the American taxpayers – of all political stripes – who want to make sure that their tax dollars are not squandered on wasteful boondoggles, incompetence or political favors”
“Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Finance Committee, isn’t commenting until he fully evaluates Miller, according to POLITICO.
In a statement, Grassley said, “Now, more than ever, it’s critical that we ensure that this money is used as intended. The administration, the special inspector general for pandemic relief, the Pandemic Relief Accountability Committee and all of us in Congress must keep a watchful eye on these programs to guard against fraud, waste and mismanagement.”
When the president signed the coronavirus emergency bill he alluded to his displeasure with the oversight provision by issuing a rare signing statement. Trump said he would ignore portions of the law demanded by some Democrats to give Congress additional visibility into the stimulus spending, arguing that those requirements would infringe on the separation of powers enshrined in the Constitution.
(Copyright 2020 WBAP/KLIF 24/7 News. This report contains material from Poltico, USA Today and NBC News.)
