House postpones testimony from key Pompeo aide about IG firing

The House Foreign Affairs Committee has postponed the testimony of Brian Bulatao, the undersecretary of State for management, which was scheduled for Thursday. 

The committee was scheduled to hold a hearing with Bulatao as part of its investigation into the firing of State Department Inspector General (IG) Steve Linick.

Bulatao was a key figure in the ouster of Linick, whom President Trump said he fired at the request of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Linick was investigating the use of government resources for personal errands by Pompeo and his wife as well as an $8 billion arms deal to Saudi Arabia. 

The State Department told the committee on Wednesday that it had received the IG’s report about the administration’s emergency declaration used to ram through $8 billion in arms sales last year. The committee is delaying the hearing to allow the department to review the report. 

Bulatao will appear before the committee later this month, the panel’s Democratic chairman, Rep. Eliot Engel (N.Y.), said in a statement.  

“Despite the Department’s earlier unconditional offer for Mr. Bulatao’s testimony, I’ve decided to postpone the proceeding,” Engel said.

Democrats have suggested that Linick’s firing was in retaliation for his investigations into Pompeo.

Linick testified in front of House lawmakers earlier this month, where he said Bulatao was attempting to “bully” him over the arms deal investigation and delivered the news to him that he was fired.