New "Acting"

The Trump administration has quietly named a new acting State Department inspector general, the latest personnel shift to hit the troubled watchdog unit since Secretary of State Mike Pompeo engineered the firing of its longtime leader.

Matthew Klimow, the U.S. ambassador to Turkmenistan since mid-2019, has been handed the reins of the inspector general’s office for at least 90 days, according to a Wednesday email seen by POLITICO. After this story was initially published, a State Department spokesperson confirmed Klimow’s appointment, saying he would hold the position until the end of 2020.

  Politico

And then what? Trump will be "reelected" and can do any damn thing he wants and won't need Congressional approval to appoint or not appoint as he sees fit? He'll abolish all inspector general positions?

Klimow is a career government employee with a lengthy resume that includes receiving a Silver Star for valor in combat when he was in the Army.

[...]

In mid-May, President Donald Trump fired Steve Linick, who had been the State Department inspector general since 2013. The president did so at the behest of Pompeo, making Linick one of several inspectors general the Trump administration has sidelined over objections from Democrats.

Linick’s office happened to be investigating Pompeo on at least two fronts.

One involved Pompeo’s role in facilitating weapons sales to Saudi Arabia despite resistance in Congress. That report raised questions about Pompeo’s declaration of an emergency to push through the sales, though it concluded he ultimately had acted within the boundaries of his authority.

A second, ongoing investigation involves Pompeo and his wife Susan’s use of taxpayer resources, including whether they relied on State Department staffers to run personal errands for them.

Pompeo has insisted he did not know about the latter investigation when he decided Linick had to be fired.

[...]

Once Linick was pushed out, he was replaced on an acting basis by Stephen Akard, an ally of Vice President Mike Pence. Akard’s appointment raised a number of conflict-of-interest questions, leading him to recuse himself from certain probes. Akard eventually resigned in August.

The best people. Draining the swamp. Etc.

Considering the presidential election is only two months away, it was not clear why the Trump administration felt the need to bring in Klimow.

If there is a reason, it will be a nefarious one.

According to his May 2019 statement to senators considering his ambassadorial nomination, Klimow’s son Daniel has been a lawyer at the State Department, and his daughter-in-law Beth also has worked there. It wasn’t clear if the two remain in those roles, but if they do, it could raise conflict-of-interest questions.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.