Scoop: After coming under heavy fire from Pompeo, the State Department’s watchdog is leaving his job tomorrow, citing the Vacancies Reform Act. His departure is “a little bit earlier than I had anticipated,” he says in memo obtained by @washingtonpost washingtonpost.com/national-secur…
The watchdog office has had incredibly strained relations with Pompeo ever since he orchestrated the firing of the office’s longtime leader Steve Linick in mid-May, calling him a “bad actor” who wasn’t a team player ...
Linick was succeeded by Stephen Akard, who served less than three months after coming under congressional scrutiny for alleged conflicts of interest and close ties to Vice President Pence. Klimow’s tenure is now also ending after roughly three months.
A spokesman for the IG’s office denied that Klimow’s departure was related to Pompeo’s criticism. The State Department declined to comment. When he first took the job, U.S. officials had said that Klimow would hold the position until late December
Some critics have noted the Trump administration's lackluster adherence to the Vacancies Reform Act in the past. Technically, Friday will be 210 days since Linick's announced vacancy, though:
https://twitter.com/DaveLapanDC/status/1337172108858765312
The statement Pompeo put out blasting the IG's office was unusually antagonistic. Pompeo's spox also said he had been totally vindicated, but in reality, investigations into his actions are still ongoing
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