(TargetLiberty.org) – On May 15, President Donald Trump removed State Department Inspector General Steve Linick. The commander-in-chief said he no longer had confidence in the watchdog, therefore he was letting him go. Of course, some lawmakers began pushing back and demanding answers. The outrage was so loud you might’ve been left wondering if he had the authority to fire Linick at all.
Watchdogs Come, Watchdogs Go
Linick wasn’t the first watchdog the president has fired. Over the last six weeks, he’s removed five. This led some members of Congress to accuse President Trump of firing the civil servants who are overseeing the administration.
To be clear, President Trump isn’t the only commander-in-chief to let inspectors general go.
During an interview with Fox & Friends, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany pointed out that nobody cared when former President Barack Obama purged his administration of IGs leftover from former President George W. Bush’s administration.
That’s because it’s common for presidents to make personnel decisions in their administration. Obama, Bush and Clinton have all let people go within their administrations when they lost confidence in the employee’s ability. It’s such a normal thing to do that… even writing about it seems silly.
Trump Is Within His Rights
Everyone who works in the Executive branch serves at the pleasure of the president. It’s absolutely 100% legal for Donald Trump to replace inspectors generals or anyone else he wants. The Inspector General Act of 1978 gives him that power.
According to 5a U.S. Code § 3. Appointment of Inspector General section B, “An Inspector General may be removed from office by the President.”
That’s where the conversation should end, but there are people who want to continue to waste everyone’s time. Congress is still demanding answers. They want to know why Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asked the president to fire Linick. Despite what the law says, lawmakers believe they need more answers because they aren’t satisfied with, ”because he can.”
At a time when the country is fighting a global pandemic, millions are out of work and people need help, Congress wants to waste valuable time on questioning what the president can do legally. And for what, other than to waste valuable time and taxpayer dollars? It sure seems that way.
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