Pentagon deputy inspector general resigns, becomes latest watchdog to exit administration

One Pentagon official told CNN Fine was not told to resign and did so on his own accord. Still, Trump removed Fine as the Pentagon's acting inspector general just last month, a move that was viewed as an effort to thwart his leadership of the coronavirus accountability review.

His resignation takes effect June 1st, according to DOD IG spokesperson Dwrena Allen.

"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. "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."

"They are a vital component of our system of checks and balances, and I am grateful to have been part of that system. After many years in the DoJ and DoD OIGs, I believe the time has come for me to step down and allow others to perform this vital role. I wish the men and women of the DoD OIG and the Inspector General Community continued success in these important responsibilities," he added.

In late March, a group of independent federal watchdogs tapped Fine, a career official, to lead the group tasked with preventing "waste, fraud, and abuse" in the use of coronavirus relief money.

But after he was removed as acting DoD IG and effectively demoted to the deputy role in which he had previously served, Fine could no longer chair the pandemic oversight committee as that position was reserved for inspectors general.

Fine's resignation comes after Trump fired State Department Inspector General Steve Linick earlier this month, the latest in a series of dismissals of independent government watchdogs that have come in the wake of the President's acquittal on articles of impeachment.

Trump has now fired multiple inspectors general following his Senate acquittal in early February, including the late-Friday dismissal of the intelligence community watchdog Michael Atkinson, who told Congress about the whistleblower complaint that kick-started the impeachment process.

CNN has also previously reported that the President has long been fixated on ridding his administration of government watchdogs he views as Obama loyalists and now appears to be working toward achieving that goal.

This story is breaking and will be updated.