>>> ANOTHER FRIDAY NIGHT FIRING
BY THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
THE STATE DEPARTMENT INSPECTOR
GENERAL WAS REMOVED FROM HIS JOB
FRIDAY NIGHT.
THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS ON THE
RECOMMENDATION OF SECRETARY OF
STATE MIKE POMPEO.
AS NBC NEWS WAS THE FIRST TO
REPORT THIS WEEKEND, THE IG,
STEVE LINICK, WAS AMONG OTHER
THINGS, LOOKING INTO WHETHER
SECRETARY MIKE POMPEO HAD A
STAFFER RUNNING PERSONAL
ERRANDS, SUCH AS WALKING HIS
DOG, PICKING UP DRY CLEANING AND
MAKING DINNER RESERVATIONS FOR
HIM AND HIS WIFE, THIS ACCORDING
TO TWO CONGRESSIONAL OFFICIALS.
STEVE LINICK IS THE FOURTH ACCOR
CONGRESSIONAL.
HIS JOB WAS TO LEAD HUNDREDS OF
EMPLOYEES INVESTIGATING FRAUD
AND WASTE AT THE DEPARTMENT.
SPEAKER PELOSI SAYS THE ISSUE
NOW IS WHETHER THIS INVOLVED
UNLAWFUL RETALIATION AGAINST THE
I.G. BY POMPEO.
CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS IN BOTH
HOUSES ARE INVESTIGATING AND
THAT IS BEING LED BY DR. BOB MA
MENDES OF NEW JERSEY WHO JOINS
ME NOW.
SENATOR, WELCOME.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT THIS
AND WHAT OTHER ISSUES MIGHT BE
INVOLVED AND WHETHER OR NOT YOU
THINK IT WAS RETALIATION BY MIKE
POMPEO, AT LEAST FROM WHAT WE
KNOW SO FAR, AGAINST THE I.G.
>> WELL, IT CERTAINLY SEEMS SO,
ANDREA.
I READ A COMMENT THAT SECRETARY
POMPEO MADE IN AN INTERVIEW
WHERE HE SAID, YOU KNOW,
INSPECTOR GENERAL WAS NOT DOING
THE JOB IN THE WAY WE WERE
TRYING TO GET HIM TO DO IT.
WELL, THE REALITY IS THAT IS
INSPECT GENERAL DOES THE JOB AS
HE SEES THE FIT TO DO IT.
IT’S NOT FOR THE SECRETARY OF A
DEPARTMENT TO TELL YOU HOW TO DO
YOUR JOB.
I READ ANOTHER COMMENT BY THE
SECRETARY THAT HE WAS
UNDERMINING SOME OF THE WORK.
FOR EXAMPLE, I AM DEEPLY
CONCERNED THAT MY UNDERSTANDING
IS THAT THE INSPECTOR GENERAL
MAY VERY WELL HAVE BEEN ON THE
VERGE OF COMPLETING AN
INVESTIGATION INTO EMERGENCY
JUSTIFICATIONS FOR ARM SALES TO
SAUDI ARABIA.
I OPPOSED, AS A RANKING
DEMOCRAT, 60,000
PRECISION-GUIDED MISSILES GOING
TO SAUDI ARABIA BECAUSE OF THE
WAY THEY WERE BEING USED IN THE
WAR IN YEMEN.
THEN WE HAD 22 ARMED SALES
APPROVED BY THE SECRETARY OF
STATE UNDER SOME EMERGENCY
PROVISION FOR WHICH THERE HAS
BEEN NO LEGAL JUSTIFICATION FOR
AND I CAN ONLY ASSUME IT WAS TO
SKIRT CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW.
THAT WOULD BE A VERY SERIOUS
ISSUE BEYOND THE ONES THAT HAVE
BEEN REPORTED BY YOURSELF AND
OTHERS.
>> IN ADDITION TO THE SAUDI ARM
SALE THAT I UNDERSTAND WAS THE
NATURE OF $8 BILLION LAST MAY
AND AGAIN WITHOUT CONGRESSIONAL
OVERSIGHT WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN
DONE, EXCEPT FOR THIS EMERGENCY
JUSTIFICATION.
THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
HE WAS APPARENTLY LOOKING INTO,
AS YOU SAY, CORRECT?
>> YES.
AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK HE WAS
VERY CLOSE TO COMING TO A
CONCLUSION ON THAT.
AND I HAVE BEEN PRESSING, AS THE
RANKING DEMOCRAT ON THE SENATE
FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE,
WHAT IS THE LEGAL JUSTIFICATION
FOR THESE EMERGENCIES BECAUSE
THERE WAS NO EMERGENCY AT THE
END OF THE DAY THAT COULD BE
JUSTIFIED FOR THE ARM SALES, BUT
CIRCUMVENTING THE CONGRESSIONAL
ROLE IN THE ADVISING CONSENT OF
ARMED SALES TO FOREIGN NATIONS
WAS CLEARLY THE RESULT OF THE
SECRETARY OF STATE DID.
AND SO THE FACT THAT MAY VERY
WELL BE THE CASE THAT THE
DEPARTMENT OF STATE UNDER
SECRETARY POMPEO VIOLATED THE
LAW AS IT RELATES TO THESE ARM
SALES, WOULD BE SOMETHING,
OBVIOUSLY, BOTH HE AND THE
ADMINISTRATION WOULD NOT WANT TO
COME TO LIGHT.
>> NOW, MANY OF US ARE DOG
LOVERS.
I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST THE
BEAUTIFUL WHITE LAB THAT
APPARENTLY THE SECRETARY MRS.
POMPEO HAVE.
WHAT ARE THE ETHICAL GUIDELINE
AGAINST STAFFERS WALKING THE DOG
OR SENDING A STAFFER OUT TO PICK
UP DRY CLEANING OR DOING OTHER
PERSONAL ERRANDS?
THE SECRETARY IS A VERY BUSY
PER.
IS THAT OKAY?
IS THAT SOMETHING THAT THE I.G.
SHOULD OR SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN
LOOKING INTO?
>> WELL, IT IS A LOVELY DOG.
AND, YOU KNOW, LOOK.
I GUESS TO SOME DEGREE, THERE IS
ALWAYS AN ELEMENT OF SOME
PERSONAL THINGS BEING TAKEN CARE
OF SO THAT, IN FACT, THE OTHER,
YOU KNOW, DEMANDING ISSUES THAT
ANY SECRETARY HAS SURROUNDING
THE SECRETARY OF STATE WOULD BE
FREE TO DO SO.
BUT THE QUESTION IS TO WHAT
DEGREE, TO WHAT ABUSE TO WHAT
WAS THE POSITION OF THE PERSON
WHO WAS ALLEGEDLY PERFORMING
THESE PERSONAL FUNCTIONS?
YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE SOME OF THE
THINGS.
I MEAN, THIS IS THE MOST OPAQUE
SECRETARY OF STATE I’VE DEALT
WITH IN MY 25 PLUS YEARS OF
SITTING ON THE HOUSE AND SENATE
FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE.
THERE IS NO DESIRE FOR
CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT.
THERE IS NO REAL TRANSPARENCY.
IT IS CONSTANTLY A CHALLENGE TO
GET VITAL INFORMATION TO MAKE
CRITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY
DECISIONS BY MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS.
SO IF YOU ADD THIS AND THE SAUDI
ISSUE AND I ALSO HAD ASKED
INSPECTOR GENERAL LENICK FOR
CONCLUSION CASES HE DID CONCLUDE
THOSE AND ISSUED ONE THAT WAS
DEEPLY DISTURBING.
THERE IS A LOT HERE THAT THE
INSPECTOR GENERAL WAS OBVIOUSLY
REVIEWING AND IN THE TOTALITY,
IT IS AN ALARMING SET OF
CIRCUMSTANCES.
>> ONLY 27 DAYS LEFT BEFORE THIS
BECOMES OFFICIAL.
IS THERE ANY WAY YOU COULD STOP
IT?
>> WELL, IT’S MY HOPE THAT, IN
FACT, CHAIRMAN ENGEL AND THE
HOUSE HAVE CONVENING POWERS OF
THE COMMITTEE AND SUBPOENA
POWERS, IF NECESSARY.
I BELIEVE THAT THE OPPORTUNITY
TO BRING INSPECTOR GENERAL
BEFORE THE COMMITTEE WOULD BE
THERE AND IT WOULD BE MY HOPE
THAT IT WOULD BE DONE BEFORE THE
30 DAYS ARE UP.
THAT MIGHT BE A CATALYST TO
CHANGE COURSE.
IT IS ALSO MY EFFORT TO URGE
CHAIRMAN OF THE SENATE FOREIGN
RELATIONS COMMITTEE TO HAVE A
SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS
COMMITTEE HEARING WITH THE
INSPECTOR GENERAL IN PERSON AND
MAYBE OTHER MEMBERS OF HIS STAFF
TO GET TO THE HEART OF THE
MATTER.
WE NEED TO KNOW WHY AN INSPECTOR
GENERAL WHO HAS BEEN TOUGH IN
TWO ADMINISTRATIONS AND WAS
ALREADY 3 1/2 YEARS INTO THIS
ADMINISTRATION, ALL OF A SUDDEN,
IT GETS SACKED ON A FRIDAY
NIGHT, ADDED TO THE THREE OTHER
I.G.s WHO HAVE BEEN SACKED.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WE WILL BE FOLLOWING UP, OF
COURSE.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
THAT DOES IT FOR THIS EDITION OF
"ANDREA MITCHELL REPORTS."
THANKS FOR JOINING US.
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