President Donald Trump defended Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's suggestion that he fire the inspector general who was investigating him because, Trump said, it is more important for Pompeo to be performing his official duties than housekeeping.
Pompeo, Trump told reporters, is a "high-quality person" and a "brilliant guy," and might have assigned government employees to do chores around his house because his wife and children weren't home.
"[N]ow I have you telling me about dog walking, washing dishes and you know what, I'd rather have him on the phone with some world leader than have him wash dishes because maybe his wife isn't there or his kids aren't," Trump said.
Democratic lawmakers have called for an investigation into the firing of Steve Linick, an Obama-era appointee, saying that Pompeo recommended his firing after he began looking into Pompeo's actions.
Trump told reporters Monday he told all department heads when he went into office that they could recommend firing Obama-appointed IG's, and that some chose to do so immediately and others did not.
Pompeo told The Washington Post on Monday:
"I went to the president and made clear to him that Inspector General Linick wasn’t performing a function in a way that we had tried to get him to, that was additive for the State Department, very consistent with what the statute says he’s supposed to be doing. The kinds of activities he's supposed to undertake to make us better, to improve us."
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