5-16-20
I am deeply disturbed by the Trump Administration’s firing of the State Department’s Inspector General, Steve Linick. I think this is another example of Trump trying to surround himself with people who will only follow him and not raise questions or push back. This is yet another in a series of actions that undermines the vital principal of checks and balances in American democracy.
It is well known that Trump seems to favor foreign leaders who are authoritarian and diminish democratic values in their own countries. Look at Vladimir Putin of Russia.
We have seen a whole string of Administration officials forced out of their positions. A number of these were individuals who appear to have been willing to question or stand up to Trump, and that is something Trump clearly does not like. So, the officials were pushed out and replaced with individuals the Administration hoped would be more likely to bow to Trump’s will without raising questions.
This undermines good leadership and democracy itself. An effective leader should seek out and listen to different points of view as well as be willing to accept other people’s ideas.
In addition, oversight is vital to maintaining appropriate checks and balances in a democratic government. This is to ensure that an individual or branch does not exceed their power and threaten our democratic values.
Removing Linick, who was from I have read was doing his job in providing proper oversight, is yet another example of the Trump Administration’s dangerous trend of trying to avoid and even quash dissent in government as much as they can get away with. It goes against the core principal of democracy and good leadership.
Views and Observations 