A US government watchdog fired suddenly by President Donald Trump was investigating Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a Democratic politician has said.

A US government watchdog fired suddenly by President Donald Trump was investigating Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a Democratic politician has said.
The ousting led to heavy criticism from senior Democrats, including House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Congressman Eliot Engel accused the president of committing a potentially illegal act of retribution.
Mr Trump sacked State Department Inspector General Steve Linick late last night in his latest abrupt dismissal of an official tasked with monitoring wrongdoing inside a government agency.
Mr Engel, who heads the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he had learned that Mr Linick had opened an investigation into Pompeo.
“Mr Linick’s firing amid such a probe strongly suggests that this is an unlawful act of retaliation,” Mr  Engel said in a statement.
A Democratic congressional aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mr Linick was probing complaints that Mr Pompeo misused a political appointee to perform personal tasks for himself and his wife.
Washington’s top diplomat has raised eyebrows for frequently traveling the world on his government plane with his wife Susan Pompeo, who has no official role.
CNN reported last year that a whistleblower had complained that Diplomatic Security, which guards US missions overseas as well as the secretary of state, had been assigned questionable tasks for the Pompeos such as picking up the family dog and takeout food.
The State Department confirmed Mr  Linick’s firing but did not comment on the reason or on whether Pompeo was under investigation.
A State Department spokesperson said the new inspector general will be Stephen Akard, a former aide to Vice President Mike Pence from his home state of Indiana.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Mr Linick was “punished for honourably performing his duty to protect the Constitution and our national security.
“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,” Ms Pelosi said.
Meanwhile, the US House of Representatives narrowly approved a $3 trillion bill crafted by Democrats to provide more aid for battling the coronavirus and stimulating a faltering economy rocked by the pandemic.
By a vote of 208-199 Democrats won passage of a bill that Republican leaders, who control the Senate, have vowed to block despite some Republican support for provisions aimed at helping state and local governments.
Republican President Mr Trump has promised a veto if it were to reach his desk.
However, the Democrats’ measure could trigger a new round of negotiations with congressional Republicans and Mr Trump, who have been talking about the need for new business liability protections in the age of coronavirus or additional tax cuts.