State Dept Goes To War With Fired IG — Accuses Him Of Breaking Chain Of Command To Protect Himself From Past Investigation
The State Department is leveling new allegations against fired Inspector General Steve Linick, accusing him of violating the terms of his administrative leave and previously violating the chain of command to absolve himself and his office of leaking sensitive information, two letters obtained by Daily Caller show.
Undersecretary of State Brian Bulatao is additionally urging the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) to open a new investigation into Linick’s alleged actions.
President Donald Trump fired Linick on the advice of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in March, after which he was placed on administrative leave.
Bulatao wrote two letters on Monday detailing Linick’s alleged improper behavior. One was sent to Linick’s legal team. The second was sent to Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who also serves as CIGIE’s chair, and a host of members of Congress, including Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Elliot Engel, and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney.
CIGIE serves as the government’s independent auditor of the various inspector general offices. Grassley in particular had previously demanded an explanation from the Trump White House on Linick’s firing, and he pledged to block key administration nominations from proceeding until he received one.
The letter sent to Linick’s legal team claims he solicited Deputy Homeland Security Inspector General Diana Shaw to obtain and hand over a copy of a Defense Department Inspector General Report ahead of his June testimony before Congress. The terms of his administrative leave prevented him from contacting any Office of Inspector General employees.
“Without informing her own chain of command, we understand that Ms. Shaw then contacted the DOD Office of Inspector General to request a copy of the report on Mr. Linick’s behalf,” Bulatao wrote. “His apparent urgency is all the more unusual given that Mr. Linick had repeatedly refused to share the DOD IG report with anyone in the State Department itself.”
https://dailycaller.com/2020/06/09/state-dept-goes-to-war-fired-ig-accuses-him-breaking-chain-of-command-protect-himself-investigation/
CIGIELetter_June82020
https://www.scribd.com/document/465038049/CIGIELetter-June82020#from_embed
Bulatao-Linick
https://www.scribd.com/document/465025243/Bulatao-Linick#from_embed