Trump fires intel official who flagged Ukraine whistleblower report

President Trump fired the inspector general for intelligence agencies late on Friday night. [View in browser]( [Image]( APRIL 4, 2020 In the middle of a pandemic, President Trump [has fired Michael Atkinson](, the Intelligence Community Inspector General who flagged the Ukraine whistleblower complaint. [Congressional sources told NBC News]( that Atkinson, a career Department of Justice prosecutor, was informed Friday night that he had been fired, and he was placed on immediate administrative leave. The law technically requires that the president notify both congressional intelligence committees 30 days before the date the inspector general’s removal becomes effective. Placing Atkinson on leave immediately, in Congress’s view, is an attempt to[circumvent this requirement](. Amid increasing [evidence that coronavirus can be spread]( not only by coughs and sneezes, but by tiny droplets exhaled while speaking or breathing, experts hope that wearing a face covering will prevent the virus from spreading further. However, President Trump said at Friday’s coronavirus task force briefing that [he would not be wearing one](. "I just don't want to wear one myself, it's a recommendation," [he said.]("Somehow sitting in the Oval Office behind that beautiful Resolute Desk, the great Resolute Desk, I think wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, dictators, kings, queens, I don't know, I don't see it for myself." Read the latest on [nbcnews.com/coronavirus]( IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: VIDEOS [Image]( [Trump firing IG who flagged Ukraine whistleblower complaint]( Robert Costa explains the significance of Trump telling Congress he is firing the inspector general who flagged the Ukraine whistleblower complaint that eventually led to the president's impeachment. (11th Hour) [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Image]( [Maddow to Trump: You had one job. Coronavirus response needs competent leadership]( Rachel Maddow points out the ways the Trump administration is repeating and magnifying the George W. Bush administration's failures in Hurricane Katrina. She urges President Trump to recognize his own administration's fecklessness as COVID-19 kills thousands of Americans, and put someone competent in charge of the federal response. (Rachel Maddow) [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Image]( [Infectious disease expert says we can beat coronavirus in 10 weeks. Here's how.]( Harvey Fineberg, the former Dean of the Harvard School of Public Health, details what it would take to crush the coronavirus curve in ten weeks. (11th Hour) [Facebook]( [Twitter]( MORE VIDEOS Malcom Nance: Navy Captain sacrificed his career to save 4,000 sailors ([Velshi]() ‘Nasty tone: Trump snaps at question about Jared Kushner ([MSNBC]() Chris Lu: March job loss numbers are just the 'tip of the iceberg' ([Andrea Mitchell Reports]() Democrats push for more funding for mail-in voting ([Morning Joe]() Commander of Joint Task Force Katrina: it's time for FEMA to hand some of this mission off to the DOD ([Katy Tur]() Sister of fallen nurse speaks out ([MSNBC]() The terrifying trend of coronavirus in nursing homes ([All In]() Detroit bus driver dies of COVID-19 two weeks after raising alarms about coughing passenger ([All In]() NYT: Trump administration scales back on paid leave policy laid out in coronavirus relief bill ([The Last Word]() Jared Kusher ‘doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about:’ commander of Katrina Task Force ([All In]() QUOTE OF THE DAY [“Mr. President, there are things that only you can do here, the most important thing you can do, is put somebody in charge... Now is better than next week. Yesterday would have been better than today. But we’ll take what we can get. We can’t call it too late. We have to believe that we can still course correct to save some lives. Just do it already.”]( — Rachel Maddow (The Rachel Maddow Show) COMING UP ON MSNBC MSNBC's team of experts, contributors and correspondents covering the coronavirus crisis will continue to break down the medical, financial, travel and social impacts of this pandemic. [Image]( In this episode of ["Into America"](, Trymaine Lee speaks with a first-time expectant mom about how the coronavirus outbreak is changing her birth plan. Plus, MSNBC contributor Eric Deggans talks about the death of his mother and having to coordinate a funeral that many could only attend online. These are stories of life and loss in a pandemic.Listen and subscribe for free on Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Tell us what you think. 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