Tech firms have attempted to warm their ties with the US president during his second term in office
[BENGALURU] US President Donald Trump said on Friday (Sep 26) that Microsoft should fire Lisa Monaco, who had served in the administrations of two Democratic presidents and is now Microsoft’s global affairs president. The move appears to be the latest effort by Trump to exact retribution on those he sees on political enemies and comes one day after the indictment of former FBI director James Comey.
Monaco had helped coordinate the Justice Department’s response to the Jan 6, 2021, attacks by Trump supporters on the US Capitol.
She served as a security aide in the administration of president Barack Obama and was the deputy attorney general in president Joe Biden’s administration. Monaco started working for Microsoft in July to lead the firm’s engagements with governments globally, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Trump on Truth Social said that Monaco was “a menace to US National Security, especially given the major contracts that Microsoft has with the United States Government.
“It is my opinion that Microsoft should immediately terminate the employment of Lisa Monaco,” he posted.
Monaco’s security clearances were revoked in February. On Friday, Trump said that the US government has also banned her from all federal properties because of “Monaco’s many wrongful acts”.
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Microsoft declined to comment on Trump’s post. Monaco also did not immediately respond. On Thursday, Comey, who led the FBI when it began an investigation into ties between Trump’s 2016 campaign and the Russian government, was indicted on charges of false statements and obstruction of a congressional proceeding. Trump on Friday said that he expects more indictments against perceived enemies, saying to reporters: “I think there will be others” but said he did not have a list.
Since Trump returned to office in January, he has used his powers as president to hamstring law firms that represented causes he dislikes, leveraged federal funding to force changes at universities and fired prosecutors who took part in investigations against him.
He has also pushed for charges against former national security adviser John Bolton, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Democratic Senator Adam Schiff.
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The Trump administration also has been involved in corporate America on an unprecedented scale, demanding that Intel’s CEO step down, before praising him and agreeing for the government to take a stake in Intel. Disney’s ABC suspended comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s show for several days under pressure from Trump and his administration.
Tech firms, including Microsoft, have attempted to warm their ties with Trump during his second term in office. Many prominent tech leaders attended his inauguration in January and some have been hosted by him at the White House.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently visited the White House for a dinner that Trump had with tech leaders.
Trump and Republicans had previously complained of a bias against conservatives in the tech industry. REUTERS
