Washington, May 17: The US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee launched an investigation into President Donald Trump’s firing of the State Department Inspector General Steve Linick. The House panel said in a statement on Saturday that the investigation was launched by its chairman Eliot Engel, and senator Bob Menendez, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. The top Democrats on the House and Senate Foreign Relations Committees questioned the timing and motivation of what they called an ‘unprecedented removal.’ “We unalterably oppose the politically-motivated firing of inspectors general and the president’s gutting of these critical positions,” Congressman Eliot Engel and Senator Bob Menendez said in a statement. The two Democratic lawmakers requested that administration officials preserve all records related to the firing and turn the information over to the committees by May 22. The probe was launched after Trump’s removal on Friday of Linick who was appointed to the role in 2013 by then-President Barack Obama. Trump sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in which he declared his intention to fire Mr Linick. “It is vital that I have the fullest confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors general. That is no longer the case with regard to this inspector general,” Trump said in the letter. (UNI)
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