Posted on 05/31/2020 4:44:34 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
WASHINGTON -- Members of three House and Senate committees will interview former State Department Inspector General Steve Linick on Wednesday as part of an investigation by House Democrats into his abrupt firing by President Donald Trump.
The investigation is being led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., House Oversight and Reform Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., and New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Republicans on those panels will also be invited to question Linick and other witnesses.
“If Secretary Pompeo pushed for Mr. Linick’s dismissal to cover up his own misconduct, that would constitute an egregious abuse of power and a clear attempt to avoid accountability,” the Democrats said in a joint statement Friday.
The committees said they will release transcripts shortly after each interview.
The committee has asked several other State Department officials to sit for interviews in the probe, including Undersecretary of State for Management Brian Bulatao, Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs Clarke Cooper, Pompeo’s executive secretary Lisa Kenna and acting State Department legal adviser Marik String, according to the congressional aides.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has said the White House is legally required to provide more answers to Congress about the firings and gave Trump a deadline to give them. But in a letter to Grassley this week, the administration offered no new details about why they were let go.
The response from White House counsel Pat Cipollone said that Trump has the authority to remove inspectors general, that he appropriately alerted Congress and that he selected qualified officials as replacements.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
Interviews?
Not Depositions?
Linick can tell the interviewers exactly what they want to hear.
Committee Republicans should release their personal/staff notes immediately.
On twitter.
Just a quick reminder...
There are no good Democrats.
It is their custom to interview the saboteurs and the butt-hurt.
“”””””as part of an investigation by House Democrats into his abrupt firing by President Donald Trump. “”””””””””
an ABRUPT firing....as opposed to the usual GRADUAL firings.
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