State Department inspector general was investigating if Pompeo made staffer walk his dog and run other personal errands
CNNCNN — The State Department inspector general fired by President Donald Trump last week was investigating whether Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a staffer perform a variety of personal errands, including walking his dog, picking up dry cleaning and making a dinner reservation for him and his wife, a Democratic aide told CNN. CNN reported in July that Democrats on a key House congressional committee were investigating allegations from a whistleblower within the State Department about Pompeo’s use of taxpayer-funded Diplomatic Security to carry out tasks for his family – prompting agents to lament they are at times viewed as “UberEats with guns.” During his time in office, the President has repeatedly shown hostility to any independent scrutiny from within the government, often targeting officials he sees as holdovers from President Barack Obama’s administration or part of the so-called deep state, which he believes is aligned against him. A State Department spokesperson previously confirmed Linick’s dismissal and said that Ambassador Stephen Akard, an ally of Vice President Mike Pence, will take on the role. This source didn’t know of anything that seemed to trigger this beyond Trump’s general ire with what he deems to be the “deep state.” A different source said senior staff in the State Department Inspector General’s office were blindsided.
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