IG report

[Mountain Man]

They are supposed to be independent, you dope!

"Independent" means they're supposed to cut the president out of the loop while keeping Congress informed and leaking to their friends in the liberal media?

[JimL]

"Independent" means they're supposed to cut the president out of the loop while keeping Congress informed and leaking to their friends in the liberal media?

Yes, when the IG gets a whistleblower complaint about abuse of power within the administration, such as Atkinson received, you cut the president out. That's why they are independent! Dictators don't like that idea.

[Mountain Man]

Yes, when the IG gets a whistleblower complaint about abuse of power within the administration, such as Atkinson received, you cut the president out. That's why they are independent! Dictators don't like that idea.

So they're really not independent; rather, they're beholden to Congress.

[JimL]

So they're really not independent; rather, they're beholden to Congress.

Well yeah, it's called Congressional oversight, and that is why IG's were put in place in the first place. But ultimately they're beholden to the American people. If they were beholden to the President, then there wouldn't be any point to the position.

[Mountain Man]

Well yeah, it's called Congressional oversight, and that is why IG's were put in place in the first place.

Which is to say that all of your talk about them being "independent" is a load of crap.

If they were beholden to the President...

The president is their boss. That's why he can fire them, dippy.

[JimL]

Which is to say that all of your talk about them being "independent" is a load of crap.

Reporting to Congress, which is bipartisan, is the responsibility of the IGs. OIGs serve to assist congressional oversight of the executive branch which is why Congress created the positions in the first place.

The president is their boss. That's why he can fire them, dippy.

Yes, I suspect that when creating the positions of IGs, Congress didn't take Trump and his dictitorial tendencies into account. Hopefully they'll correct that error.

[Mountain Man]

Reporting to Congress, which is bipartisan, is the responsibility of the IGs. OIGs serve to assist congressional oversight of the executive branch which is why Congress created the positions in the first place.

Which is to say that all your talk about them being "independent" is a load of crap.

Since when does "oversight" imply that they should go out of their way to keep the president in the dark and leak juicy tidbits to the media?

Yes, I suspect that when creating the positions of IGs, Congress didn't take Trump and his dictitorial tendencies.

Do you always use begged when you debate?

[simplicio]

Which is to say that all your talk about them being "independent" is a load of crap.

Since when does "oversight" imply that they should go out of their way to keep the president in the dark and leak juicy tidbits to the media?


Do you always use begged when you debate?

The president was not in the dark, as you say. The information from the survey of the hospitals was a detailed version of what we have been reading on the news.

[Mountain Man]

The president was not in the dark, as you say. The information from the survey of the hospitals was a detailed version of what we have been reading on the news.

So why wasn't the report delivered to the White House instead of the IG coordinating with the media to ambush Trump and the China flu taskforce?

[simplicio]

So why wasn't the report delivered to the White House instead of the IG coordinating with the media to ambush Trump and the China flu taskforce?

The only report of that is from conservative tree house, and I do think that the conservative tree house is being deliberately dishonest in that assessment. If there is another source, I would be interested.

[Mountain Man]

The only report of that is from conservative tree house, and I do think that the conservative tree house is being deliberately dishonest in that assessment. If there is another source, I would be interested.

Ah, the genetic fallacy. Well played.

[JimL]

Which is to say that all your talk about them being "independent" is a load of crap.

Since when does "oversight" imply that they should go out of their way to keep the president in the dark and leak juicy tidbits to the media?


Do you always use begged when you debate?

He fired Atkinson for reporting to Congress and not to him, which is what he is supposed to do, so we already know why he is firing them. Disloyalty to the dictator!

[simplicio]

Ah, the genetic fallacy. Well played.

No, not genetic fallacy. I wonder why that "ambush" theory is not picked up by any other journalists.

I think the most reasonable view is that it was probably leaked and not withheld from the administration. Note Trump's response to the report: He disputed the findings that hospitals were facing dire shortages, which contradicts his message, so he went on the attack. None of those findings were surprising.

The Trump family business is living in an alternate universe.