Trump taps new acting State Department inspector general
Matthew Klimow, the US ambassador to Turkmenistan, was appointed by President Donald Trump and his appointment took effect on Monday, the State Department Office of Inspector General confirmed to CNN. Klimow is planning to return to Turkmenistan at the end of the year, the office said.
“The Department of State appreciates Ambassador Klimow coming back to Washington, D.C. to fulfill the role of the Acting Inspector General until the end of 2020,” a State Department spokesperson said Thursday.
Two congressional aides also said they were informed Klimow had been named to the role. One of those aides said there is a perception that he is close to senior officials at the department.
Klimow, a career civil servant, was a senior adviser in the Office of the Under Secretary for Management immediately prior to his post as ambassador. He also served in other roles at the State Department and the White House and in the military. Klimow’s son is an attorney at the State Department, according to his biography.
The watchdog agency has been without a Senate-confirmed inspector general since Linick was fired at Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s behest late in the evening on May 15.
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