"I prefer him to be on the phone with world leaders" : Donald Trump downplayed the investigation on Monday of his secretary of state Mike Pompeo, suspected of having his dog walked by a state employee, and defended the dismissal of the Inspector General who was leading her. "I have the absolute right as president to step down ," he said as this new affair splashed on one of the most influential members of his government.
The President of the United States said he did not know Steve Linick, the State Department inspector general who he dismissed on Friday at the request of Mike Pompeo. "I have never heard of him," he told reporters, noting only that he had been appointed by his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama. "Many of these people were appointed by Obama and I just get rid of them," said the Republican billionaire.
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According to elected Democrats, Steve Linick, responsible for independently monitoring the exercise of executive power in American diplomacy, had just opened an investigation into complaints that Mike Pompeo had asked an agent paid with money taxpayer to walk his dog, get his clothes from the dry cleaners or make reservations at the restaurant for private dinners. But, still according to the opposition, the inspector was also on the verge of completing a politically sensitive investigation into an emergency procedure invoked by the Secretary of State a year ago in order to unblock arms sales to the Saudi Arabia despite opposition from Congress.
"I was not aware of such an investigation," first evaded Donald Trump. But then he stood up for his minister. "He's a brilliant guy ," he pleaded. "He is a man who is supposed to negotiate war and peace with very, very important countries with weapons unprecedented in the world. And Democrats and Fake News media are interested in the man who walks his dog. ” "Maybe he's busy. Maybe he's negotiating with Kim Jong Un, " the North Korean leader, " about nuclear weapons, so he says please, can you walk my dog? It does not bother you? " Continued the American president.
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"He's someone of very high quality, Mike" , "and are you talking to me about taking the dog out, doing the dishes?" You know what? I prefer that he be on the phone with world leaders rather than wasting his time doing the dishes because his wife may be away . ”