Glenn Fine, the Defense Department official whom President Donald Trump recently removed from overseeing the federal government’s coronavirus response, has reportedly resigned from the department.
Fine, who was ousted by Trump last month while serving as the Pentagon’s acting inspector general, announced his departure in a statement on Tuesday, Politico first reported.
Fine had been selected on March 30 to lead the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC), which is a panel of 10 inspectors general tasked with limiting fraud, wrongdoing and mismanagement in the federal spending of more than $2 trillion in emergency coronavirus funds.
One week later, he was removed by Trump as acting Defense Department inspector general, a role he had since 2016, during the Obama administration. He was replaced with Sean O’Donnell, the inspector general of the Environmental Protection Agency. Because of his removal, Fine was no longer eligible to serve as the PRAC’s chairperson.
“It has been an honor to serve in the Inspector General community, both as the Inspector General of the Department of Justice and the DoD Acting Inspector General and Principal Deputy Inspector General performing the duties of the DoD Inspector General,” Fine said in a statement obtained by CNN. “The role of Inspectors General is a strength of our system of government. They provide independent oversight to help improve government operations in a transparent way.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Calling all HuffPost superfans!
Sign up for membership to become a founding member and help shape HuffPost’s next chapter