POLITICS MAY 17, 2020 / 10:35 AM / UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO

Trump's firing of State Department watchdog may be 'unlawful,' Pelosi says

Sarah N. Lynch, Doina Chiacu
4 MIN READ

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s firing of the State Department’s top internal watchdog “could be unlawful” if it was intended to retaliate against one of his investigations, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday.

Trump late Friday ousted Inspector General Steve Linick, the fourth inspector general he has fired since early April, following his February acquittal by the Republican-controlled Senate in his impeachment trial.

“The president has the right to fire any federal employee, but the fact is if it looks like it’s in retaliation for something the IG, the inspector general, was investigating, that could be unlawful,” Pelosi said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

The top Democrats on the House and Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Saturday began a probe into the firing, saying it was their understanding that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo personally recommended Linick’s sacking because the inspector general “had opened an investigation into wrongdoing by Secretary Pompeo himself.”

A State Department spokesperson confirmed Linick had been fired but did not comment on Pompeo’s role in the dismissal.

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