US Democrats have launched an investigation into President Donald Trump’s move to oust the State Department’s internal watchdog, accusing the President of escalating his fight against any oversight of his administration.
Key points:
- Steve Linick is the fourth inspector-general to be fired since April
- President Trump said he no longer had confidence in Mr Linick’s ability
- Democrats have questioned the motive of the ‘unprecedented removal’
Mr Trump announced the planned removal of Inspector-General Steve Linick in a letter to House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi late on Friday night, making Mr Linick the latest government inspector-general to be ousted in recent weeks under the Republican president.
On Saturday, senior Democrats on the House and Senate Foreign Relations Committees, House panel chairman Eliot Engel and Senator Bob Menendez, questioned the timing and motivation of what they called an “unprecedented removal”.
“We unalterably oppose the politically-motivated firing of inspectors general and