House Democrats say Friday’s ouster of State Department Inspector General Steve Linick may have been tied to an investigation into last year’s arms deal with Saudi Arabia. In May of 2019, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and President Trump issued an emergency declaration to fast-track over $8 billion worth of weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, bypassing congressional approval. The U.S.-backed, Saudi- and Emirati-led war in Yemen has caused a massive humanitarian disaster with about 80% of the population now reliant on humanitarian aid amid widespread hunger. An investigation into Mike Pompeo’s misuse of a political appointee to run personal errands is also being considered as a possible motive for the firing. On Monday, Trump was asked why he fired Linick.

President Donald Trump: “Yeah, I don’t know him at all. I never even heard of him. But I was asked to by the State Department, by Mike.”