Trump on Ukraine Whistleblower: “Somebody Oughta Sue His Ass Off”

Test Ticker

THE FIRST $500,000

This is a big one: the first time we’re asking for the donations Mother Jones relies on since joining forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting. So in “Less Dreading, More Doing,” we lay it all out for you—why we merged, how we’re stronger together, and why we’re more optimistic than normal about the work ahead. It still won’t be easy. Please help us raise the First $500,000 we need by June 22.

This is big. Mother Jones just merged with the Center for Investigative Reporting, and this is the first time we’re asking for the donations we rely on. So we lay it all out for you in “Less Dreading, More Doing,” and we need to raise the First $500,000 in online donations by June 22. It won’t be easy. Please help if you can.

President Donald Trump speaks at the coronavirus briefing at the White House on April 4, 2020. Tasos Katopodis/CNP via ZUMA

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.

During a press briefing on the latest coronavirus pandemic developments Saturday, President Donald Trump saved his most passionate comments for an entirely different topic: His decision late Friday to fire the inspector general who helped spark the president’s impeachment last year.

When Trump notified Congress late Friday night that he was firing Michael Atkinson, the inspector general for the intelligence community, he said only that he did not have full confidence in him. Democratic leaders in Congress immediately suspected the firing was a reprisal for Atkinson’s role in his impeachment, because he had notified Congress about the whistleblower complaint over Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. On Saturday, Trump confirmed their suspicions.

During the coronavirus the press briefing, Trump ripped into Atkinson and the whistleblower. “I thought he did a terrible job,” Trump said of Atkinson’s handling of the whistleblower complaint. “He took a fake [whistleblower] report and he brought it to Congress with an emergency, ok? Not a big Trump fan, that I can tell you.” He continued to stress that his notorious July 25 phone call with the president of Ukraine was “perfect,“ as he did throughout the impeachment hearings.

“I have the absolute right” to fire Atkinson, Trump added. Then he pivoted to attack the whistleblower, whom he said should not have been allowed to remain anonymous because he was a “fake whistleblower.”

“They give this whistleblower a status that he doesn’t deserve,” Trump complained, “he’s a fake whistleblower, and frankly someone oughta sue his ass off.”