Pompeo calls Ukraine inquiry 'a silly gotcha game' but says he'll be 'responsive'
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took a trip to Europe this week, but was followed by allegations that he and other American diplomats helped to strong-arm Ukraine into aiding President Trump's re-election campaign.
At a public meeting in Athens on Saturday, a Greek journalist asked Pompeo about the Ukraine-related investigation back home. Pompeo seemed exasperated by the question. "This is what's wrong, when the world doesn't focus on the things that matter ... and instead, you get caught up in a silly gotcha game," he said.
Earlier in the week, Democratic leaders of the impeachment inquiry in Congress accused Pompeo of "stonewalling" their investigation by refusing to turn over documents. Congressional investigators issued a subpoena for these documents on Sept. 27, and set a deadline of Friday, Oct. 4 for turning them over. At a press conference in Athens Saturday, Pompeo said that he'd responded with a letter on Friday evening, which he called "our initial response to the document request."
"We'll obviously do all the things that we're required to do by law," Pompeo said. "We're going to be more responsive than the Obama administration was in the years that preceded this particular Congress."
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
Pompeo is just one of the top Trump administration officials facing a demand for documents. Congressional investigators also have delivered subpoenas to the White House and the office of Vice President Mike Pence.
Neither of those offices appeared inclined to turn over documents. A spokesperson for Pence's office told the New York Times that "it does not appear to be a serious request," but rather, an attention-getting maneuver.
On Friday, Sen. Mitt Romney criticized Trump on Twitter, calling his efforts to pressure Ukraine into investigating the actions of then-Vice President Joe Biden, or his son Hunter Biden, "wrong and appalling."
Trump fired back on Saturday morning, also on Twitter. "Somebody please wake up Mitt Romney and tell him that my conversation with the Ukrainian President was a congenial and very appropriate one," he wrote.
In a follow-up tweet, Trump called Romney a "pompous 'ass' who has been fighting me from the beginning."
Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.