A probe into President Donald Trump’s dismissal of a State Department Inspector General Steve Linick, has been launched by congressional Democrats on Saturday.
Reports claim that Linick’s dismissal is as a result of his investigation on the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo.
APF report also stated that the impulsive decision by Trump is the third dismissal of officials tasked with monitoring governmental misconduct and abuse since April, which has since then attracted criticism from members of his own party.
“The firings of multiple Inspectors General is unprecedented; doing so without good cause chills the independence essential to their purpose,” tweeted Republican Mitt Romney.
“It is a threat to accountable democracy and a fissure in the constitutional balance of power,”
Republican senator Chuck Grassley said “A general lack of confidence simply is not sufficient detail to satisfy Congress.”
The report further disclosed comments by Senator Bob Menendez and congressman Eliot Engel who stated that they “unalterably oppose the politically-motivated firing”.
The lawmakers said Linick had apparently “opened an investigation into wrongdoing by Secretary Pompeo himself,” and said the firing was “transparently designed to protect Secretary Pompeo from personal accountability … and may be an illegal act of retaliation.” APF reported.
United States law stipulates that the administration must give Congress 30 days’ notice of its plans to terminate an inspector general.
This is to give lawmakers time to study the move and protest if necessary.
READ ALSO: Why Air Peace Was Denied Landing Rights In Canada For Evacuation -Onyeama
Leave a Reply