Trump fires Steve Linick, Obama appointee who briefed Congress on Biden-Ukraine ties

He had been nominated to be the director general of the Foreign Service but withdrew after objections he wasn't experienced enough.Democrats in Congress, meanwhile, objected to the president’s move.“The president must cease his pattern of reprisal and retaliation against the public servants who are working to keep Americans safe, particularly during this time of global emergency,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement.Pelosi claimed Linick was being “punished for honorably performing his duty to protect the Constitution and our national security.”Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, suggesting Linick was fired in part in retaliation for opening an unspecified investigation into Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP“This firing is the outrageous act of a president trying to protect one of his most loyal supporters, the secretary of state, from accountability,” Engel said in a statement. Mr. Linick’s firing amid such a probe strongly suggests that this is an unlawful act of retaliation.”Engel offered no details of the alleged investigation into Pompeo, but Linick's office had issued several reports critical of the department’s handling of personnel matters, including accusing some of Trump’s appointees of retaliating against career officials.The Associated Press contributed to this report.Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inboxSubscribedYou've successfully subscribed to this newsletter!This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.