House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is weighing in on President Donald Trump’s latest move to fire another government watchdog.
Trump released a statement on Friday evening announcing the termination of State Department Inspector General Steve Linick, as IJR reported.
In his statement, Trump argued he is no longer “confident” in Linick to be able to do his job.
CBS’s Margaret Brennan asked Pelosi why Linick was removed and what is behind this decision.
“Well this is new to us and typical of the White House announcing something that is very unsavory, they would do it on late on a Friday night,” Pelosi said.
Watch her comments below:
IG FIRING: @SpeakerPelosi tells @margbrennan the Trump administration's firing of Steve Linick, a @StateDept Inspector General was "typical of the White House, announcing something that is very unsavory" late Friday night. https://t.co/JSj6u540vV pic.twitter.com/0scPsGBoTq
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) May 17, 2020
Pelosi released a statement shortly after Linick’s dismissal.
She called his decision a “dangerous pattern of retaliation.” She alleged Linick was “punished” for performing his duty.
Brennan pressed Pelosi to clarify what she meant by “unsavory.”
“Well I mean unsavory when you take out someone who is there to enforce, to stop waste fraud abuse or other violations of the law that are believed to be happening,” Pelosi said.
She added, “The president has the right to fire any federal employee, but the fact is if it looks like it’s in retaliation for something that the IG, the inspector general, is doing that could be unlawful.”
Pelosi claimed Trump ousted other inspectors general because they were investigating things Trump has been doing.
Trump announced on April 3 he made the decision to fire Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson, as IJR reported.
“It is vital that I have the fullest confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors general,” Trump said. “This is no longer the case with regard to this inspector general.”
Pelosi fired back at Trump for firing Atkinson calling the move “shameful” and an “act against a patriotic public servant.”