Pentagon's former top inspector general resigns after demotion by President Trump

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon's former top watchdog resigned Tuesday one month after President Trump demoted him and prevented him from overseeing COVID-19 stimulus spending.

Glenn Fine, who had been acting inspector general for the Defense Department, announced his resignation after a White House purge of inspectors general. Four of them have been fired or pushed aside in the last three months.

"The role of inspectors general is a strength of our system of government," Fine said in a statement. "They provide independent oversight to help improve government operations in a transparent way. They are a vital component of our system of checks and balances, and I am grateful to have been part of that system."

Fine's fellow inspectors general had selected him to chair the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, a body charged with overseeing the roughly $2 trillion stimulus deal. The committee chairman was given the power to issue subpoenas and investigate officials inside and out of government.

Trump signaled his displeasure with the law's oversight provision and nominated Jason Abend to be Pentagon inspector general. That move effectively demoted Fine and prevented him from chairing the accountability committee.

Fine had been acting inspector general at the Pentagon since 2016. He previously served as inspector general for the Justice Department from 2000 to 2011.

"The way Fine was treated by President Trump makes it no surprise he has resigned," said Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project On Government Oversight, a nonpartisan watchdog group. "This is just one more step in the crushing of our IG system."

Trump also fired Michael Atkinson, the inspector general who informed Congress about an anonymous whistleblower complaint that described Trump’s pressure on Ukraine to investigate Democrat Joe Biden. The complaint led to Trump’s impeachment, though he was acquitted in the Senate.

Earlier in May, secretary of State Mike Pompeo fired Steve Linick as inspector general of his department. Linick had reviewed allegations of political retaliation by allies of the president — highlighting instances where State Department employees were labeled "disloyal" or "traitors" even though they were career diplomats who had served multiple administrations.

Linick had also investigated Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server when she was secretary of State.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Inspector general: Former Pentagon watchdog resigns after demotion by Trump