WASHINGTON _ Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's wife, Susan, was at the center of an ongoing investigation by the State Department Inspector General's office, according to a transcript of a congressional interview with fired State Department Inspector General Steve Linick released on Wednesday.
The investigation was continuing at the time of Linick's firing on May 15 and should still be ongoing _ unless the secretary of state or the acting inspector general, Stephen Akard, puts a stop to it, the former IG said.
Susan Pompeo is referenced 23 times in the 253-page transcript of the seven-hour-long Linick interview with the House Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees last week.
Linick was asked to define Susan Pompeo's role at the State Department.
"I couldn't tell you that," he replied.
Pressed again, Linick said that answering the question "would get into the pending review, so I don't really want to comment on that."
But he repeatedly confirmed that the investigation covered alleged misuse of government resources by both Pompeo and his wife, and said that the review was "pending" and "ongoing."
Linick agreed to testify to the Democratic-led House committees as lawmakers probe whether he was fired in retaliation for his investigations into Pompeo.
Scrutiny of Susan Pompeo has angered the secretary of state, who has decried journalistic efforts to identify her role and their joint use of State Department personnel. She often accompanies the nation's top diplomat on foreign trips.
"These attacks have become very personal to me. They've now gone after my wife," Pompeo told Fox last month.
Confirming reports from the time of his firing, Linick told lawmakers he had been conducting an investigation into potential misuse of government resources by the Pompeos before President Donald Trump fired him last month at Pompeo's request.
Linick declined to answer many questions regarding the details of his investigation, including whether it covered Pompeo's multiple trips to Kansas in 2019, because the review _ as far as he is aware _ has not been completed.
Rep. Brad Sherman, a California Democrat, asked Linick whether the investigation covered Pompeo's use of State Department planes for travel to Kansas or the lavish Madison Dinners he hosted for prominent members of political and business communities.
Pompeo made four trips to Kansas last year, fueling speculation that he was weighing a run for retiring GOP Sen. Pat Roberts' seat. He ultimately decided not to run for the seat despite a prolonged recruitment effort by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Linick said he could not discuss the Kansas trips, "other than what I've already said, that we have a review of allegations relating to the misuse of government resources."
Pompeo told reporters at a Wednesday morning event that he had not yet seen the transcript, but defended the decision to fire the State Department's watchdog.
"Steve Linick was a bad actor in the inspector general's office here. He didn't take on the mission of the State Department to make us better. That's what inspector generals are supposed to do. They work for the agency head � that's me � and they're supposed to deliver and help make that organization better," Pompeo said. "That's not what Mr. Linick did."
The investigation has brought new scrutiny to the influence the secretary's spouse has exercised at the State Department � an issue that also came up during Pompeo's tenure at the CIA � despite having no official role in the federal government.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a question about the references to Susan Pompeo in the congressional interview.
Susan Pompeo has remained active in Kansas politics. She held a fundraiser in Washington in February for Amanda Adkins, one of Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids' GOP challengers in Kansas' 3rd Congressional District.
Linick declined to comment on the role of Toni Porter, who previously served as Pompeo's Wichita-based district director when he was in Congress before working for him at the CIA and State Department.
Government sources told The Star last month that Linick's investigation focused on Pompeo's treatment of the longtime aide.
Linick said that answering a question about Porter would be "getting into matters involving our investigation, and I don't really want to comment on who she is or what she does or anything like that."
