WASHINGTON, May 18 -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asked him to fire the State Department's Inspector General (IG) Steve Linick, of whom the president said had never heard.
Asked about his Friday's decision to oust Linick, Trump told reporters in the White House that "I don't know him at all, I never even heard of him, but I was asked to by the state department, by Mike."
"He is an Obama employee ... they ask me to terminate him, I have the absolute right as president to terminate," Trump said, adding that the removal should have been done a long time ago.
Trump also downplayed the reports about the state department watchdog was investigating if Pompeo had asked a staffer to run personal errands for him or his administration's decision to expedite arms sales to Saudi Arabia by declaring an emergency last year.
In an interview with The Washington Post earlier in the day, Pompeo said that he asked Trump to fire Linick, but he noted that he was unaware of Linick's ongoing investigation on him.
"It is not possible that this decision, or my recommendation rather, to the president rather, was based on any effort to retaliate for any investigation that was going on or is currently going on," Pompeo said. "Because I simply don't know. I'm not briefed on it. I usually see these investigations in final draft form 24 hours, 48 hours before the IG is prepared to release them."
U.S. media reported Sunday that Linick was investigating whether Pompeo "made a staffer walk his dog, pick up his dry cleaning, and make dinner reservations" for him and his wife.
Eliot Engel, chairman of House Foreign Affairs Committee, told U.S. media on Monday that Linick's office was also investigating Pompeo's decision to fast-track 8 billion U.S. dollars arms sale to Saudi Arabia last year.
Trump's decision to fire Linick is coming under bipartisan scrutiny. "The firings of multiple Inspectors General is uNPRecedented," tweeted Senator Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican, and 2017 Republican presidential nominee. "Doing so without good cause chills the independence essential to their purpose."
Engel and Senator Bob Menendez, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said Saturday that they had launched an investigation into the move, which they said was "politically-motivated."
求职需谨慎!10大迹象发现职业骗局
5个真相:解读新时代职业发展趋势
告诉你的老板!10招提升员工幸福感
6年双重生活 他是光鲜时尚摄影师也是流浪汉
男性陪睡师新流行:我们也想要帅哥陪睡啊!
研究表明美国女性的饮酒量直追男性
2017美剧最佳台词出炉了
你的身材勺形or桥形?正确站姿教你远离背痛
“致癌门”两周后,香肠培根销售额暴跌300万英镑
工作疲倦?是时候给自己来点挑战了
解密:区分“喜爱”与“职责”
孤单的你我懂:讨厌孤单的人会做的8件事
世界网络哪家强?TOP20排行韩国第1香港第9
国内英语资讯:China Focus: China completes worlds longest cross-sea road-rail bridge
国内英语资讯:2nd CIIE to showcase Chinas intangible cultural heritage and time-honored brands
四件小事记在心,大脑随时能创新
新手必看:化妆达人也会犯的15个错误!
健康过冬:五大贴士教你抵御冷空气
盘点那些慷慨捐赠的商界巨鳄
5分钟缓解工作压力:做个健康的工作狂
路怒症成为交通事故的最大幕后黑手
这位圣诞老人出场时 万千少女都把持不住了
保持头发健康的最佳食物
每天吃多少最健康?手长度来帮忙测一测!
能创业的是老板 真正的企业家是这样
马云收购《南华早报》 谈判正在进行中
低头党注意!常常玩手机的九大风险
致减肥的你:如何获得异性的青睐?
3种传媒技能 让数字传媒人工作自如
2016年度流行色发布:少女得不要不要的!
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |