Steve Linnik, who was appointed to his post in 2013, then U.S. President Barack Obama, was informed of his dismissal late on Friday evening. It must be replaced by Steven Acard, a close ally of Vice President of the United States Mike Pence from his home state of Indiana. The spokesman said that Acard, who led the office for foreign missions, immediately assume office as the acting inspector General, reports The Guardian. Note that prior to joining the administration trump Acard worked as the chief of staff of the economic development Corporation Indiana the then Governor Mike Pence. He also worked at the American Embassy in Brussels and Consulate in Mumbai, after joining the Department of state.
the duties of the inspector General of the Department include a Supervisory function over the activities of the American diplomatic service for compliance with the legislation. It is unclear, notes The Hill, as this change will affect employees at the state Department, which has faced deep internal problems after trump took office.
In a letter to his implacable political foe, speaker of the house of representatives Nancy Pelosi, trump said: “it is important that I fully trust the appointees, the acting inspector-General. It no longer refers to it by the General inspector.”
According to a source in the democratic party, just before the dismissal Linnik began investigating claims of a secret informant of the security service of the Department of state that Pompeo allegedly used some of the envoys in the state Department to perform personal errands for him and his wife, Susan.
Linnik called the last remaining in the position of “watchdogs” of the American administration – personnel White house staff who have transferred to the Congress information on the case concerning the impeachment of trump. In the case of Linnik, the sources noted The Hill, it was about the so-called Ukrainian dossier which affected the interests of ex-mayor of new York Rudolph Giuliani, a friend and personal lawyer in the White house. All these persons, most of whom testified on Capitol hill, already fired by trump administration. It is known that the American President demanded personal loyalty on the part of officials working in the administration, especially those responsible for oversight.
meanwhile, the commentators did not fail to pay attention to some details. Thus, in accordance with U.S. law, the President must notify the inspector General 30 days before the dismissal that Congress could investigate the reasons for his resignation. However, this it was not done.
a Storm of indignation of the opponents of the trump in Congress caused by the fact that the resignation happened late on Friday evening, a few hours after the end of the week. “The inspector General Linnik was punished for honest fulfilment of their duty to protect the Constitution and our national security,” said speaker of the lower house of Congress, Nancy Pelosi. “This dismissal is a flagrant act of the President trying to protect one of its most dedicated supporters, Secretary of state, of responsibility, – said Eliot Engel, Chairman of the foreign Affairs Committee of the house of representatives from Democrats. – I learned that the inspector General’s office launched an investigation against the Secretary of state Pompeo. The dismissal of Mr. Linnik on the background of the investigation suggests that it is an unlawful act of retaliation”.
Linnik is the last of the inspectors General of key us agencies who have lost their jobs in recent weeks. In early April, trump dismissed the inspector General of the intelligence community of Michael Atkinson. The White house was extremely unhappy that Atkinson considered the complaint an anonymous Complainant of U.S. intelligence last year, raising allegations of improper contacts trump with Ukraine. This ultimately led to his impeachment.
a week later, the American President dismissed the acting as the Pentagon’s inspector General Glenn fine, who was previously appointed head of unit for supervision of coronavirus.
Finally, on may 1, trump dismissed the first Deputy inspector-General in the Department of health and human services Kristi Grimm, who published a report on the shortage of medicines in hospitals across the country in the midst of a pandemic of mers.
