Stop Trump’s war on independent watchdogs

Donald Trump just majorly escalated his war against legitimate, independent oversight of his administration.

His latest target? Steve Linick, the Inspector General at the State Department -- who was conducting an investigation into Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s alleged abuse of government funds.

Pompeo has repeatedly come under fire for reportedly using State Department money for political purposes -- like making frequent visits to Kansas where he was rumored to be considering a Senate run, as well as taking his wife with him on official international trips.

And before he was ousted from his position, Linick -- a longtime public servant -- was investigating claims that Pompeo made one of his political appointees do personal tasks for him and his family.

Ever since the Senate voted to cover up his crimes, Trump has been trying to eliminate any and all supervision over his administration. Last month, he fired Michael Atkinson, the inspector general who brought the Ukraine whistleblower’s complaint to Congress -- and recently, Trump had acting inspector general Glenn Fine removed from his role of overseeing the administration's COVID-19 relief spending.

Now, it seems that Trump has fired Linick to shield Pompeo from accountability. And unless Congress responds, Trump won’t stop until there isn’t a single White House watchdog left -- no one overseeing his administration's decisions, and nobody to put a stop to waste, fraud, or abuse of power.

Add your name to urge Congress to protect independent inspectors general -- by requiring the president to show cause in order to remove them.