DEMS/MIKE POMPEO/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Democrats and many in the State Department are increasingly exasperated that they have yet to see the results of an investigation into whether President Donald Trump’s political appointees mistreated career staffers. The delayed release of the State Department inspector general’s findings has generated rising suspicion that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is trying to derail the investigation, whose results could be damning to some of his top aides. Lawmakers initially expected the report ‘months ago,’ according to Rep. Eliot Engel, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee…Aides to Pompeo did not offer comment on his role. The inspector general’s office, however, insisted that there is nothing unusual in the length of time it’s taken to release the findings…The probe is expected to cover a wide array of suspected mistreatment of Foreign Service and Civil Service officers by Trump political appointees. The majority of the alleged improprieties are thought to have occurred under former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, but the accused include some political appointees who also served under Pompeo.”
–Nahal Toosi, “Fury grows over delayed probe of Trump aides’ alleged political retaliation,” Politico, August 9, 2019 4:48 pm