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He and other legislators have asked the Treasury Department’s inspector general for tax administration to investigate the deal’s legality.

Upon returning to the White House in January, Trump removed many of the government's inspectors general and has installed acting heads of the watchdogs at the defence, commerce, labour and health departments.

Lankford joins fellow Republican and Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker, who penned a letter earlier in the week requesting the inspector general of the US Department of Defense look into the incident.

In his first term in office, Trump dismissed or replaced five inspectors general, officials assigned to departments throughout the executive branch of government to monitor waste, abuse and fraud.

Soskin was among 17 inspector generals, who serve as watchdogs over government agencies, who were fired by Trump on Jan. 24.