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WASHINGTON, May 16-- The U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee on Saturday said that it had launched an investigation into President Donald Trump's firing of the State Department Inspector General Steve Linick on Friday. The House panel said in a statement that the investigation was launched by its chairman Eliot Engel, and senator Bob Menendez, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. The two Democratic lawmakers requested that administration officials preserve all records related to the firing and turn the information over to the committees by May 22. "Chairman Engel and Ranking Member Menendez requested that the administration turn over records and information related to the firing of Mr. Linick, information about Stephen J. Akard, whom the State Department has announced will lead the OIG (Office of the Inspector General), and records of all IG investigations involving the Office of the Secretary that were open, pending, or incomplete at the time of Mr. Linick's firing," said the statement. The probe was launched after Trump's removal on Friday of Linick who was appointed to the role in 2013 by then-President Barack Obama. According to media reports, Trump said in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he "no longer" had the "fullest confidence" in Linick and promised to send the Senate a nominee "who has my confidence and who meets the appropriate qualifications." | 
