I repeat: It is illegal for Trump's acting IG to have started working at the State Department.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

I REPEAT:
IT IS ILLEGAL FOR TRUMP'S ACTING IG TO HAVE STARTED WORKING AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT THIS WEEK. THE LAW FORBIDS REMOVAL OF AN IG DURING THE 30-DAY NOTICE PERIOD. IF EVEN FOUR SENATE REPUBLICANS CARED ABOUT LAWS, THEY WOULD STOP THIS BY BLOCKING TRUMP'S NOMINEES. GOT IT?

Link to tweet

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Laws? We don't need no stinkin' laws.

When did doing something illegal ever bother either Fat Nixon's administration or the GOP senators?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. Pompeo's new acting inspector general is already creating a conflict of interest

Global Opinions

Pompeo’s new acting inspector general is already creating a conflict of interest

By Josh Rogin
Columnist
May 20, 2020 at 5:36 p.m. EDT

On Friday, President Trump announced the firing of State Department Inspector General Steve Linick, based on the recommendation of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a move that surprised official Washington and infuriated Democrats. Now, there is additional concern about Linick’s replacement, Stephen Akard, who is already on the job — and is also keeping his existing State Department position, setting up a clear conflict of interest.

According to the law, the administration must notify Congress 30 days in advance before firing an inspector general. But multiple sources told me that Linick’s last day was Friday, the same day Congress learned about his ouster. Akard showed up at the office on Monday morning and immediately assumed the boss’s role. Yet Akard is keeping his job as the head of the State Department’s Office of Foreign Missions, a Senate-confirmed political appointee position he has held since September. Adding the inspector general’s job to his duties essentially means he will be overseeing himself.

“The independence of inspectors general is paramount. Embedding a political ally to serve as IG who is still working in the very agency they are supposed to oversee is very problematic and an affront to that independence,” Sen. Robert Menendez (N.J.), the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, told me. “I have trouble seeing how Ambassador Akard could fulfill those duties effectively given the circumstances and without stepping down from his current role.”

The State Department did not respond to a request for comment.

{snip}

Josh Rogin
Josh Rogin is a columnist for the Global Opinions section of The Washington Post. He writes about foreign policy and national security. Rogin is also a political analyst for CNN. He previously worked for Bloomberg View, the Daily Beast, Foreign Policy, Congressional Quarterly, Federal Computer Week and Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper. Follow https://twitter.com/joshrogin

[spanone]

3. trump is a lawless 'president'. Laws do not apply to him or anyone in his administration.

The thing with laws is, if no one enforces them, then they are just words on paper.

No one is enforcing any laws pertaining to trump & co.

We're closer to a dictatorship than our democracy has ever been.

[ScratchCat]

4. Then why would the Democrats

even participate in the confirmation? Don't participate and state that its illegal. WTF is wrong with Democrats? Will they not learn their lesson from the Barr nomination?

[czarjak]

5. Being sin-free comes with perks?

[uponit7771]

6. K&R, But Red Don is not going to illegally affect the upcoming election in his favor.

[samsingh]

7. he does alot of illegal stuff and NO ONE stops him

[Ford_Prefect]

9. MSM Headline "Woops he did it again! Isn't that cute? How very special of him."

[yaesu]

8. there are no laws in a lawless society that is, this fascist state. nt

[maxsolomon]

10. The vote to not hear witnesses was a grant of impunity.

We currently live in an Autocracy.

[calimary]

11. The mild-mannered Walter Shaub is SHOUTING!

Now that's a first (I think). I have not seen that from him before.

[FakeNoose]

12. It's clear to me that this is morally wrong and illegal

The appointment should have gone to the only person with the experience and qualifications to do the job correctly, namely Jared Kushner.

[NoRoadUntravelled]

13. Every day another bad news story about this administration's disregard for Rule of Law.

[onenote]

14. Probably, but its pretty complicated

https://www.lawfareblog.com/legal-issues-implicated-trumps-firing-state-department-inspector-general