Sonali Kolhatkar speaks with Elizabeth Shackelford.

The State Department’s new Acting Inspector General is also its head of the Office of Foreign Missions. Stephen Akard, who is a Senate-approved political appointee was picked to replace the recently fired State Department Inspector General Steve Linick.

But by retaining his other post at the department, Akard is now effectively overseeing himself. And that appears to be the pattern within the Trump administration which has in just six weeks purged 4 Inspectors General.

Mr. Linick’s removal—which is the latest instance—appears to be the direct result of his inquiry into State Secretary Mike Pompeo’s potential abuses of power. What does such a pattern of actions mean for the federal government?

Elizabeth Shackelford, fellow with the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and author of “The Dissent Channel: American Diplomacy in a Dishonest Age.” She was a U.S. diplomat until December 2017 when she resigned in protest of the Trump administration.

Rising Up with Sonali is a radio and television show that brings progressive news coverage rooted in gender and racial justice to a wide audience. 

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