Trump defends firing U.S. intel watchdog

Trump defends firing U.S. intel watchdog

U.S. President Donald Trump defended his decision to fire the top watchdog of the U.S. Intelligence Community, saying Michael Atkinson did "a terrible job" in handling the whistleblower complaint that triggered an impeachment probe of Trump last year.

Fred Katayama reports.

U.S. President Donald Trump slammed Michael Atkinson Saturday, defending his decision to fire the top watchdog of the U.S. Intelligence Community.

SOUNDBITE: U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP (ENGLISH) SAYING: "I thought he did a terrible job, absolutely terrible.

He took a whistleblower report which turned out to be a fake report.

It was fake.

It was totally wrong.

It was about my conversation with the president of Ukraine.

He took a fake report and he brought it to Congress with an emergency.

Not a big Trump fan.

We'll get off this because people want to talk about what we're talking about.

But let me just say something, that's my decision.

I have the absolute right." Atkinson handled the whistleblower complaint that had set off an impeachment probe of Trump last year.

He told Congress he had found credible a complaint that the president had abused his office in attempting to solicit Ukraine's interference in the 2020 election for his political benefit.

Some Congressional Republicans have expressed concern over his firing, and Democrats have blasted the move.