WHITFIELD: Two months after his acquittal, President Trump has fired the inspector general who alerted Congress of the whistleblower complaint that led to the president's impeachment. That inspector general was Michael Atkinson. And now he is out of a job. Our Sarah Westwood joins us now -- Sarah?</s>SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Fred, this is just the latest in a string of actions the president has taken against people involved in his impeachment inquiry. Recall that he removed Alexander Vindman, the National Security Council official, who testified against him, and also Vindman's twin brother, also on the NSC who had nothing to do with the impeachment inquiry other than his relation to Vindman. Both were re-assigned off the NSC. The president also fired Gordon Sondland, the former U.S. ambassador to the European Union. Sondland delivered some of the most damaging testimony in the impeachment inquiry. So this removal of the Intelligence Community watch dog is a continuation of that pattern. The president late last night sent a letter to the House and Senate Intelligence Communities informing him of his decision to remove Atkinson from that position. According to the statute, the president can't actually remove Atkinson for another 30 days, so Atkinson will be placed on administrative leave for the rest of the time in his office. The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, reacted with outrage echoing a lot of Democrats who strongly disagree with the president's decision to do that. Last night, she wrote, "This latest act of reprisal against the Intelligence Community threatens to have a chilling effect against all willing to speak truth to power." So the president stirring up controversy with this decision to remove Atkinson last night -- Fred?</s>WHITFIELD: All right. Sarah Westwood, thank you so much. Well, it's been a pretty difficult week for many around the world as we begin to see the massive toll the coronavirus is taking, including the loss of several legends of music. Their stories when we return.
Trump Fires Inspector General That Sparked Impeachment