Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Trump & Pompeo, sons of Atuk


BBC:

Pompeo denies inspector general fired as payback for investigation


Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

Image copyright GETTY IMAGESI mage caption
 

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has denied seeking to oust the state department's independent watchdog in "retaliation" for an investigation.

President Donald Trump fired Steve Linick, the agency's inspector general, on Friday night.

He had been investigating Mr Pompeo's alleged use of government staff for personal errands, US media reported.

It emerged on Monday he was also scrutinising a Trump administration Saudi arms deal.

He is the fourth inspector general (IG) to be fired by Mr Trump in four weeks, and the move sparked outcry from Democrats, who claimed Mr Linick was fired for political reasons.

Mr Pompeo confirmed that he had recommended Mr Linick's removal, but said he did not know that the inspector general was investigating him.

"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," he told the Washington Post on Monday.

"So it's simply not possible for this to be an act of retaliation. End of story."

The secretary of state said Mr Linick was sacked for "undermining" the state department, though he did not give further details.

"I went to the president and made clear to him that Inspector General Linick wasn't performing a function in a way that we had tried to get him to, that was additive for the state department, very consistent with what the statute says he's supposed to be doing," he said.


Steve Linick was appointed by Barack Obama, to oversee spending and detect mismanagement at the state department

Image copyright EPAI mage caption
 


Mr Linick, a former prosecutor, was appointed by Mr Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, to oversee spending and detect mismanagement at the state department.

Democrats say Mr Trump is retaliating against public servants who want to hold his administration to account.

On Friday, Mr Trump said he no longer had the "fullest confidence" in Mr Linick and that he would be terminated in 30 days.

Mr Linick was said to be investigating complaints that Mr Pompeo had improperly used tax-payer provided staff for personal tasks, such as picking up dry cleaning and walking his dog.

Mr Trump on Monday dismissed the investigation as unimportant.

"I don't know anything about the investigation but you're just telling me about walking a dog," he said. "It's terrible. It's so stupid. You know how stupid that sounds to the world? Unbelievable."

He added: "I'd rather have him on the phone with some world leader than have him wash dishes because maybe his wife isn't there or his kids aren't there."

Eliot Engel, the Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs committee said over the weekend that he believed Mr Linick's sacking was an act of "retaliation" and that he would open an investigation.

Mr Pompeo denied the charge.

"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," he told the Post.

On Monday, Mr Engel said he suspected "another reason for Mr Linick's firing".

"His office was investigating - at my request - Trump's phony declaration of an emergency so he could send weapons to Saudi Arabia," Mr Engel said in a statement.

"We don't have the full picture yet, but it's troubling that Secretary Pompeo wanted Mr Linick pushed out before this work could be completed."

There's Now a Job Vacancy for AG in Malaysia After PM Mahathir ...

Apandi sacked

Last May, Mr Trump angered both Republicans and Democrats when he declared a national emergency to sidestep a congressional review of over $7bn (£5.7bn) in arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

The rarely used loophole in the Arms Export Control Act was invoked by Mr Trump to approve the sale to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and and the UAE - over the objection of US lawmakers.

In a statement at the time, Mr Pompeo said "an emergency exists which requires the immediate sale" of the weapons "in order to deter further the malign influence of the government of Iran throughout the Middle East region."

He said the arms shipments "must occur as quickly as possible in order to deter further Iranian adventurism in the Gulf and throughout the Middle East."

Human rights groups have found instances when US-made weapons have been used by Saudi Arabia to kill civilians in neighbouring Yemen during that country's civil war.



Lord President & High Court judges sacked


This is the latest in a series of dismissals of independent government watchdogs.

Last month, Mr Trump dismissed Michael Atkinson, the inspector general of the intelligence community.

Mr Atkinson first alerted Congress to a whistleblower complaint that led to Mr Trump's impeachment trial.


DPM Anwar Ibrahim sacked, jailed & bashed




9 comments:

  1. american president so useless, fire one tok3tok4 officer pun kena taruh.

    just to share, all china emperor hv to do is to shout chop, n many "yushi" ie audit n check officer become headless. ccp today no more "yushi", n replaced by a jianchayuan ie control officer, but we can only see their toughness n righteous on tv drama, just like we was told how ccp courageously whacking japs, also from tv drama. in real life i suspect both sitting in the coffee shop from morning to night waiting for durian to fall.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mfer, those days u have vociferated about have long gone!

      Proved once again news in yr fart filled well, time dilating so slowly.

      The present CCP govt has been fighting hard & viciously with corruption & incompetency. Many big fishes r caught & charged. Sometime with a bullet to the back of the head!

      What has yr Formosa duckheaded administration done to those squandering the taxpayers money?

      What happened to 岩里政男? Chen Shui-bian? Ooop… also yr 蔡妹妹 using the presidential plane to smuggle cigarette?

      Fighting Japanese invaders!

      Yr 蔡妹妹 didn't show u the confidential telegram of Chiang Kai-shek about whoever fought the Japanese would be executed pronto?

      Mfer, I suspect u r sitting in yr backyard from morning to night waiting for durian to fall. U r afraid that those durians would disappear as u have so proclaimed that yr backyard is open land!

      Delete
    2. xi faction is fighting the jiang faction in the name of corruption n incompetency, how competent is xi administration when yunnan bat is flying everywhere?

      Delete
    3. Do u have insider infos on 中南海 about the political in-fightings between Xi & Jiang?

      Or from 台毒水炮 again!

      Mfer, Jiang is still there at 90+ bcoz Xi won't rock the boat by placating that old man. Only the fools would believe that Jiang is still having a hand in any political plays in China after Hu Jintao cleaned out Jiang's influence & installed Xi.

      Look at how quickly the ex-governor of Hubei & his teams were been removed after proving their administrative incompetency.

      Ditto to with the recent party chief in virus-hit NE China's Shulan City of Jilin been removed from post.

      Indeed, the wuick & effective management of covid-19 pandemic in China & foresighted lockdown of Wuhan during CNY r perfect showpieces for Xi's administrative competency.

      Especially so when yr uncle Sam is pointing fingers all-over China for his blaming excuses!

      Eat yr heart out, mfer.

      Tongsha atolls will fall back into China soon. & U & yr cohorts better start packing & panegyrizing with yr uncle Sam for a quick way out. The economic meltdown is beginning!

      Delete
  2. Eh...please be fair, why only highlight Toonsie's sackings; KT forgot to mention Jibby sacked his Deputy Muhyiddin, the AG Gani Patail, Cabinet Minister Shafie Apdal and Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz.

    Sama sama lah.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In Ah Mok's book, when his Najib dismissed officials during his tenure, it was called due process or even just desserts.

      Delete
  3. Trump was subject to impeachment proceedings in Congress and survived. Muhyiddin Kok Kok Kai shut down parliament.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Pompeo is such a pathetic weakling.

    He can't even get an Inspector General 5 pay-grades below his fired, without 130 people and the entire Press questioning him , demanding answers and even demanding him to reverse the decision.

    CCP is so much more perfect.
    If you are not in the good books, once you are fired, you are gone, forever, never heard or seen again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ya-loh, good book as proven in yr wet dream, liar!

      BTW, why blamed Pompeo? He is just a product of the system u so praised to sky height.

      Delete