President Donald Trump ordered the purchase of questionable new machines that purport to clean face masks for health care workers. He has ordered task force members not to testify before Congress for the time being. And, last month, in a purge of inspectors general who could investigate aspects of the coronavirus response, he got rid of the Pentagon's top watchdog, who would oversee the deal. As NBC's Jonathan Allen writes in an analysis, there is effectively no independent oversight of this deal, or others like it. A president proud of his work and his intentions should welcome the validation of those checks. But Trump has neutralized them at a time when more money is being pumped out of Washington at a faster pace than ever before. |