Trump Fires the State Department Watchdog, and the Retaliation Smell Is Instant
The White House fired State Department Inspector General Steve Linick on May 15, and the news broke hard on May 16 as critics pointed to the timing, the secrecy, and the fact that Linick had reportedly been looking into matters involving Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The move immediately looked less like routine management and more like another Trump-era purge of an inconvenient watchdog. That made it politically radioactive, especially because inspectors general are supposed to be the people who ask the questions politicians hate. The blowback was immediate and bipartisan in tone, with lawmakers warning that the administration was treatin…
First recorded May 16, 2020·Meaningfully updated May 16, 2020
Returning reader
What changed
Trump Fires the State Department Watchdog, and the Retaliation Smell Is Instant
The White House fired State Department Inspector General Steve Linick on May 15, and the news broke hard on May 16 as critics pointed to the timing, the secrecy, and the fact that Linick had reportedly been looking into matters involving Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The move immediately looked less like routine management and more like another Trump-era purge of an inconvenient watchdog. That made it politically radioactive, especially because inspectors general are supposed to be the people…
The White House fired State Department Inspector General Steve Linick on May 15, and the news broke hard on May 16 as critics pointed to the timing, the secrecy, and the fact that Linick had reportedly been looking into matters involving Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The move immediately looked less like routine management and more like another Trump-era purge of an inconvenient watchdog. That made it politically …
Truth standard
What TDF can prove
The linked reports preserve their sources, audit notes, confidence rating, corrections, and comments. The page Q&A below is restricted to those connected materials and will say when the evidence does not establish an answer.
