President Donald Trump’s Friday night dismissal of the State Department inspector general provoked objections from some Republican lawmakers who said the president did not …
President Donald Trump’s Friday night dismissal of the State Department inspector general provoked objections from some Republican lawmakers who said the president did not present sufficient grounds for the move.
In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Trump said he was removing Inspector General Steve Linick from his position because he longer held his “fullest confidence.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a statement responding to Linick’s firing that “Congress requires written reasons justifying an IG’s removal.”
“Inspectors general are crucial in correcting government failures and promoting the accountability that the American people deserve,” he said.
Grassley did not feel Linick had done enough to investigate the origins of the allegations the Trump campaign colluded with Russian election interference efforts in 2016, but he said, “those shortcomings do not waive the President’s responsibility to provide details to Congress when removing an IG.”
“A general lack of confidence simply is not sufficient detail to satisfy Congress,” Grassley said.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine also said Trump had failed to adequately explain the reasons for Linick’s removal.
“I have long been a strong advocate for the Inspectors General. They are vital partners in Congress’s effort to identify inefficient or ineffective government programs and to root out fraud and other wrongdoing,” Collins said in a tweet.
Collins pointed to her role in drafting the 2008 Inspector General Reform Act, which requires the president to submit a written explanation for an inspector general’s removal 30 days before it takes effect.
“The President has not provided the kind of justification for the removal of IG Linick required by this law,” Collins said.
