It looks like retribution for what the Inspector General is doing, said the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The decision of U.S. President Donald Trump to fire State Department inspector general Stephen Linick may be illegal. Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, expressed this opinion in an interview with CBS on Sunday.
“The President has the right to fire any federal employee. But the fact is, if it looks like retribution for what the inspector general is doing, it could be illegal”, – Pelosi said.
“He in his letter did not give any reason other than loss of confidence. He also lost confidence in the other inspectors general because they were investigating <…>. I believe that the presidents should not have the opportunity to cancel the investigations into their own actions”, – added the speaker of the House of Representatives.
Linik Trump announced his intention to dismiss in a letter sent to Pelosi on Friday. According to the law, the administration must notify Congress 30 days in advance of the dismissal of inspectors who perform supervisory functions within agencies. Stephen Ackard, a former member of the Foreign Service, will be temporarily in charge of the inspector’s affairs.
On Saturday, Reuters reported, citing a representative of the White House, that Secretary of State Michael Pompeo recommended to dismiss Linique, and Trump gave his consent. In turn, chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives Eliot Angel (Democrat from New York State) said that he intends to study in detail the circumstances of Linik’s dismissal. According to Engel, the legislators assume that Pompeo recommended removing Lynic from his post due to the fact that “the inspector general opened an investigation into the abuses of the state secretary himself. The congressman is convinced that the move was aimed at “shielding Secretary of State Pompeo from personal liability”.
When asked whether Lynic had indeed investigated Pompeo, Pelosi replied on Sunday that she “trusts the chairman [of the House Foreign Affairs Committee]”.