MSNBC Discovers Trump Doesn't Like Oversight. Again.
MSNBC breathlessly reports on Trump's continued 'campaign' against federal inspectors general, citing removals and perceived threats to their independence. This concern for checks and balances is certainly admirable, if a bit selective. One might recall a distinct lack of similar outrage when the Obama administration, for example, used the Espionage Act to target whistleblowers and journalists—a
move that effectively stifled many internal checks on power, including those IGs might otherwise pursue. Or, more recently, when federal agencies, under various administrations, routinely stonewall IG investigations into drone programs or intelligence failures. The 'campaign against IGs' is an old song, just with new singers. It seems the news cycle is less about the principle of oversight and
more about who is being overseen. The establishment media consistently rings the alarm on corruption only when it can be tagged with the 'right' political branding. When it comes to systemic failures, or worse, bipartisan complicity in issues like endless wars or corporate handouts, those IGs somehow become less newsworthy. (Perhaps they forgot to register their complaints in the correct political
donation bracket.)