Trump Fired a State Department Watchdog Who Was Reportedly Investigating Mike Pompeo
In recent weeks, President Trump has made a habit of quietly firing inspectors general, government watchdogs charged with monitoring federal agencies for misconduct. And this Friday, State Department inspector general Steve Linick was the latest official to fall in a late-night purge.
House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Eliot Engel made a statement announcing that he had learned that Linick was in the midst of an investigation of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. ABC News reported that, according to a State Department source, "Pompeo recommended to Trump that inspector general Linick be fired and supported the president’s decision."
In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Trump wrote that he "no longer" has "the fullest confidence" in Linick, and that his firing will become effective in 30 days time. A spokesperson for the State Department told Politico that Ambassador Stephen Akard will serve as interim inspector general.
Linick's firing arrives on the heels of ousters of inspectors general monitoring the Department of Health and Human Services, the intelligence community, and the Defense Department. Michael Atkinson, the now-former Inspector general of the Intelligence Community, played a key role in kickstarting Trump's impeachment trial by alerting Congress to the whistleblower complaint about the president's phone call with Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky. Linick played a smaller role in the impeachment proceedings by providing documents given to the State Department by Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
"This firing is the outrageous act of a President trying to protect one of his most loyal supporters, the Secretary of State, from accountability," wrote Rep. Engel in a statement. " Mr. Linick’s firing amid such a probe strongly suggests that this is an unlawful act of retaliation. This President believes he is above the law."
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