Government

State Department IG Fired While Investigating Complaints About Whip-Wielding Protocol Chief

Because ... 2020.

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(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

What kind of diplomatic protocols require the office manager to walk around with a whip? We know the State Department hosts some wild parties — at taxpayer expense, of course — but whips? Really?

Politico reports that recently fired State Department Inspector General Steve Linick had just completed a report relating to former head of the protocol office, Ambassador Sean Lawler. Lawler left his post abruptly in June 2019 amid stories that his unorthodox management style left something to be desired. NBC wrote at the time, “[N]umerous employees in his office had resigned in protest of his management and behavior. Among the behaviors that had caused concern, according to two U.S. officials, is that Lawler was known to carry a whip at work in what was perceived as an attempt to intimidate colleagues.”

HR lawyers, start your engines!

Lawler was succeeded by his deputy Cam Henderson, who now heads the Office of Protocol. It is this office which is currently under fire for arranging taxpayer funded dinners for Secretary and Mrs. Pompeo with “thought leaders” such as Reba McEntire and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

It’s not clear whether those dinners were also the subject of a current IG investigation, but according to Politico, Linick had recently completed a report on Henderson’s handling of complaints about Lawler during his tenure. Apparently Henderson failed to respond appropriately to concerns about her boss’s aggressive, intimidating behavior.

The inspector general had investigated further claims that Henderson, while Lawler’s deputy, had violated State Department policy by not reporting allegations involving Lawler and workplace violence to higher-ups. The person said Linick’s office had determined Henderson likely had violated regulations and that the State Department should take appropriate action.

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According to NBC, Linick contacted the Office of Protocol last week, just hours before he was abruptly fired by the president at Pompeo’s request on Friday night.

Pompeo defended the propriety of terminating the employee who was investigating his own misuse of government employees and arms sales to Saudi Arabia, in addition to the problems at the protocol office.

“I went to the president and made clear to him that Inspector General Linick wasn’t performing a function in a way that we had tried to get him to, that was additive for the State Department, very consistent with what the statute says he’s supposed to be doing,” he told the Washington Post.

Then he dispatched State Department spokesman Brian Bulatao to imply that Linick was a leaker who had to be fired immediately because of a story that appeared more than six months ago, saying “You know the IG is normally charged with carrying out the investigation. It certainly was a very strong finger-pointing at IG Linick’s way.”

Pompeo remained defiant at a press conference this morning, falsely insisting to reporters, “I have no sense of what investigations were taking place inside the inspector general’s office. Couldn’t have possibly retaliated for all the things.”

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“I’ve seen the various stories, that someone was walking my dog to sell arms to my dry cleaner,” Pompeo joked. “I mean, it’s all just crazy. It’s all crazy stuff.”

After smearing Linick, the Secretary concluded his remarks by insisting that he was simply unable to discuss the actual reason for the IG’s firing. “Unlike others, I don’t talk about personnel matters. I don’t leak to y’all.”

Because Mike Pompeo is deeply devoted to adhering to HR best practices. You bet!

Fired State Department watchdog was probing protocol office [Politico]
Pompeo says he didn’t know fired inspector general was investigating him [WaPo]

Elizabeth Dye (@5DollarFeminist) lives in Baltimore where she writes about law and politics.

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