Pompeo Sends Letter to Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee Regarding Fired IG

On Thursday, the Washington Free Beacon reported that the recently fired State Department inspector general, Steve Linick, sent copies detailing a sensitive investigation to his personal email account. The inquiry report, which had been run by the IG of the Defense Department, confirms that Linick was the subject of a leak investigation, specifically regarding the State Department’s top Iran official, Brian Hook.

This report had been provided to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and concluded that “while Linick was permitted to send information to his personal email account to facilitate access while traveling, he was the only official in that office to have done so,” and this raises questions about possible leaking to the press.

Meanwhile, rumors went around that Linick was fired for investigating Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his staff. But it’s obvious that the House Foreign Affairs Committee knew all this information, since the original inquiry report was dated March 17.

This bring us to yesterday, when Pompeo sent a letter to Chairman Elliot Engel (D-NY), saying how the State Department offered for Under Secretary of State for Management Brian Bulatao to speak with the Committee, and that Deputy Secretary of State Steve Biegun asked to have a call with Engel to provide necessary information. But on Wednesday, Engel personally declined to speak with either of them, having his staff do so instead.

Pompeo continued as to how the State Department wants to refute Linick’s account, which they have been exactly what they’ve been trying to do. Now, Pompeo is offering to have Bulatao testify at a public hearing before the committee.

The full letter can be read here:

Man, @SecPompeo doesn't hold back in this letter to Engel about Linick:

"I hear you've been busy in your district, so let me get you up to speed on what's been going on in your committee." pic.twitter.com/rXmmy4HcWb

— Nate Madden (@NateOnTheHill) June 12, 2020

We’ll see if Engel and the Democrats actually care about the truth, or just want to use the “unjust firing” as a political weapon against the president. My money is on the latter.