Intel Vice Chair Sen Mark Warner Who Accused Trump of ‘Corrupt Scheme’ Calls Atkinson Firing ‘Unconscionable’

In a tweet Friday night, Virgina Sen Mark Warner, who is the highest ranking Democrat in the Intel Committee slammed President Trump’s firing of ICIG Michael Atkinson.

In the midst of a national emergency, it is unconscionable that the President is once again attempting to undermine the integrity of the intelligence community by firing yet another intelligence official, the ICIG, simply for doing his job. The work of the intelligence community has never been about loyalty to a single individual — it’s about keeping us all safe from those who wish to do our country harm. We should all be deeply disturbed by ongoing attempts to politicize the nation’s intelligence agencies.

The work of the intelligence community has never been about loyalty to a single individual — it’s about keeping us all safe from those who wish to do our country harm. We should all be deeply disturbed by ongoing attempts to politicize the nation’s intelligence agencies.

— Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) April 4, 2020

In February, he gave a speech on the Senate floor after announcing that he would vote in favor of the two articles of impeachment against President Trump.

The allegations against the President are grave. The House managers presented a compelling case based on the testimony of more than a dozen witnesses—Trump political appointees and career public servants who had the courage to speak truth to power. Their testimony, and the House managers’ case, present a clear fact pattern that even many of my Republican colleagues acknowledge is true. This evidence reflects a corrupt scheme to solicit foreign interference in support of the President’s re-election.

He went after the President on Friday in a local ABC 8 interview prior to the news of the firing, joining #Metoo actress Alyssa Milano in calling for a National Stay at Home order.

A fact check from that news agency found that there is some question about whether the President could even legally issue a national stay-at-home order. Guidelines published in 2014 by the Congressional Research Service, a federal research agency, found state and local governments have the primary authority to control the spread of disease.

We absolutely need a national stay-at-home. We have seen this virus now hit in country after country. The only way that we seem to be able to slow the growth of the virus or flatten the curve as the term is, is these national stay-at-homes.

He also joined the call with Adam Schiff for an investigation once the pandemic is over. He said, “I also think after the virus is behind us we need to find out why America was not better prepared. We need to find out why America didn’t join with 67 other countries in January when the WHO (World Health Organization) adopted a testing regime.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has already formed a Federal Response Investigative Committee in order to oversee the distribution of federal funds from the Stimulus Bill.

Warner faces a challenge in November for his seat. Currently, there are 3 republicans will be competing to take him on. The candidates who filed enough petition signatures to be on the ballot June 9 are retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Daniel Gade, Army reservist Tom Speciale, and Nottoway County teacher Alissa Baldwin.