Trump wants to fire the intelligence watchdog who told Congress about the whistleblower's complaint

• President Donald Trump has repeatedly discussed the possibility of firing Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community inspector general, The New York Times reported.
• Atkinson reviewed a whistleblower complaint against Trump and, after finding it to be urgent and credible, alerted Congress about it in accordance with US law.
• Trump is reportedly furious with Atkinson and doesn't understand why Atkinson shared the complaint with Congress. He also believes Atkinson's decision to do so shows he's disloyal to the president.
• There is no evidence that Atkinson acted improperly.
• The whistleblower's allegations have also been corroborated by a cascade of witness testimony; Trump's own public statements; statements made by the acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney; and a White House summary of the phone call at the center of the complaint.
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President Donald Trump wanted to fire Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community inspector general who deemed a whistleblower complaint about Trump to be urgent and credible, The New York Times reported, citing four people familiar with the discussions.

Trump first expressed his anger toward Atkinson in September, when the complaint became public, the report said. The president said he didn't understand why Atkinson shared the complaint with Congress and believed it was a sign that Atkinson was disloyal to him.

The complaint was filed by a US intelligence official in August and centers around a July 25 phone call Trump had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The whistleblower, who used legal avenues to file their complaint, said Trump abused his power during the phone call by soliciting foreign interference in the upcoming presidential election.

During the phone call, Trump repeatedly pressured Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son for corruption. He also asked Zelensky to look into a bogus conspiracy theory suggesting it was Ukraine, not Russia, that interfered in the 2016 election and that it did so to benefit Hillary Clinton's candidacy.

Though the whistleblower's complaint was the match that sparked the impeachment inquiry, witness testimony from more than a dozen administration officials and career diplomats revealed that the phone call was just one data point in a months long campaign by Trump and his allies to bully Ukraine into acceding to his demands.

Specifically, the president wanted Zelensky to go on television and publicly announce that he would investigate the Bidens and the Ukraine conspiracy theory. While carrying out the pressure campaign, Trump also withheld nearly $400 million in military aid and a White House meeting that Zelensky desperately wanted.

The Ukrainian president was ready to cave to Trump's demands and had scheduled an interview on CNN that was supposed to air on September 13. But he didn't go through with it after Atkinson alerted Congress to the existence of the whistleblower's complaint on September 9. The Trump administration lifted the hold on the military aid on September 11.

According to The Times, Trump's frustration with Atkinson has continued to grow in recent weeks as he discusses the possibility of firing him. He's also publicly accused Atkinson, whom he appointed in 2017, of working with the Democrats to bring down his presidency.

There is no evidence that Atkinson acted improperly. The whistleblower's allegations have also been corroborated by the following:

• Trump's public statements.
• The acting White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, who confirmed a quid pro quo - military aid in exchange for the investigations Trump wanted - at a news briefing last month.
• A White House summary of the July phone call.
• Testimony from Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council who has firsthand knowledge of the call.

• Read more:
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• John Bolton's lawyer dropped an intriguing hint that shows why he could be the most dangerous witness against Trump
• A whistleblower, a cover-up, and a quid pro quo: Here's everything we've learned from the impeachment inquiry
• It looks like Trump and Giuliani's efforts to intimidate and bully the former Ukrainian ambassador went much further than publicly known