Rino Senator Susan Collins Sides with Dems, Calls Trump Firing of Atkinson "not warranted" From News Thud: Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) who is widely considered one of the Republican Senators most likely to side with Democrats on swing issues, is speaking out against Trump firing intel community IG Michael Atkinson. TheHill reports Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, is breaking with President Trump’s decision to fire Michael Atkinson, the inspector general for the intelligence community, saying his removal was “not warranted.” “While I recognize that the President has the authority to appoint and remove Inspectors General, I believe Inspector General Atkinson served the intelligence community and the American people well, and his removal was not warranted,” she said in a statement over the weekend. Collins noted that by giving the heads of the House and Senate Intelligence committees a 30-day notification that he was removing Atkinson, Trump followed a 2008 law on inspectors general that she co-authored. But the senator, who is facing a tough reelection race in the fall, added that she didn’t find Trump’s “rationale” for firing Atkinson to be “persuasive.” Trump sent shockwaves through Washington when he announced on Friday night, in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, that he was firing Atkinson, who had handled the whistleblower complaint related to Trump’s actions toward Ukraine that sparked the House impeachment inquiry. Trump defended the firing during a press conference on Saturday and called Atkinson a “disgrace” to inspectors general. https://newsthud.com/breaking-collins-sides-with-dems-calls-trump-firing-of-atkinson-not-warranted/?utm_source=News+Thud&utm_campaign=df2a78ceb8-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_84584849d2-df2a78ceb8-74338969