THE government watchdog who was fired last week had been investigating the U.S. secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, for sidestepping Congress to approve arms sales to the Gulf and using staffers for personal errands, according to congressional sources.

U.S. President Donald Trump declared his intention to fire the state department inspector general, Steve Linick, in a letter sent to the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, late Friday night. The White House said the decision was taken at Pompeo’s advice.

According to Democratic congressional aides, Linick had nearly completed an investigation into a highly controversial decision by Trump and Pompeo last May to approve US$8 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates without consulting Congress, on the grounds that the regional threat posed by Iran constituted a national emergency.

Congress had sought to curb the weapons sales in the wake of the Saudi killing of the Washington Post columnist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi and high civilian casualties from Saudi bomb strikes in Yemen.

The congressional aides said Linick had also been looking into allegations that a political appointee at the state department was being employed to run menial errands for Pompeo and his wife, Susan. The chores included walking the family dog, picking up dry cleaning and making dinner reservations.

Pompeo claimed he was unaware he was being investigated by the inspector general and insisted he called for Linick’s firing because he was “undermining” the state department’s work.

Pompeo’s claim to have no knowledge he was under investigation conflict with a report in Politico on Monday that he had refused to sit for an interview with the inspector general’s office about the Saudi arms sales.

In his letter Friday, announcing Linick’s dismissal, Trump said he no longer had full confidence in him. On Monday, he said he had never heard of Linick before being asked to fire him.

(SD-Agencies)