President Donald Trump spontaneously criticized U.S. State Department employees right in front of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo two weeks ago, calling it the “Deep State Department.”
Trump then turned to Pompeo and said, “You know, Mike?” and Pompeo smirked and nodded his head.
And it was in that moment, we knew President Trump’s Deep State purge had officially begun.
You might have heard the name John McEntee before – and if so, it may be for two reasons.
McEntee was the quarterback for the University of Connecticut in 2011 and released a video of himself performing football trick shots that instantly went viral.
He’s also the “baby-faced assassin” in President Donald Trump’s administration. McEntee was initially hired as a volunteer but was later promoted as a “body man” to Donald Trump during his presidential campaign.
And now McEntee is the face of President Trump’s Deep State purge.
In January, the 29-year-old put a freeze on political appointments and told cabinet liaisons at the White House that he would be selecting cabinet deputies and removing Deep State federal employees.
And he recently claimed his first major federal employee.
Late Friday night, President Trump fired the Inspectors General of the Intelligence Community, Michael Atkinson.
In a letter to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, President Trump wrote, “As is the case with regard to other positions where I, as President, have the power of appointment … it is vital that I have the fullest confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors general.”
President Trump should rightly be able to trust those who work for him.
Of course, the liberal critics have already bemoaned that the reason Trump made this decision was because of Atkinson’s involvement in the Ukraine whistleblower complaint, which ultimately resulted in Trump’s impeachment trial.
But the reality is, Atkinson overstepped his authority by informing Congress of the whistleblower’s complaint and not the now-former Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire, who was legally bound to inform Congress within an allotted time.
Atkinson’s disdain and disrespect towards President Trump couldn’t have been any clearer.
On Sunday, Atkinson released a statement saying, “While I understand that the President can remove Inspectors General for cause, I am disappointed and saddened that President Trump has decided to remove me as the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community because I did not have his ‘fullest confidence. It is hard not to think that the President’s loss of confidence in me derives from my having faithfully discharged my legal obligations as an independent and impartial Inspector General, and from my commitment to continue to do so.”
But that’s the thing, it wasn’t his “legal obligation.”
Atkinson’s firing is the first of many to come, and conservative allies have allegedly given President Trump a list of other Deep State inspectors generals who need to go.
A report by Axios noted, “Sources close to President Trump expect him to fire more inspectors general across his government after his Friday night removal of Michael Atkinson.”
The Deep State purge has officially begun.