Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is facing scrutiny from lawmakers over his involvement in the unfolding Trump-Ukraine scandal
Lawmakers trying to unravel the controversy over President Donald Trump's discussions with the leader of Ukraine are increasingly homing in on exactly what role Mike Pompeo played in the drama.
Democrats jumped on that to demand answers, even as some Hill staffers privately say they are leery of believing Giuliani. While it's still not clear what Pompeo did or did not do, the still-unfolding Ukraine scandal could dramatically affect his standing at Foggy Bottom and on Capitol Hill, not to mention his well-known political future political ambitions.
“It’s impossible to believe that the secretary wasn’t aware of what was happening,” said one State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “If he was kept in the dark, that’s even more troubling.” Those diplomats include the special envoy for Ukraine, Kurt Volker and the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland. There also are questions about the actions of U.S. ambassadors in other European countries where Giuliani may have met with Ukrainian officials.
The readout released Wednesday of Trump's call with Zelensky does not mention Pompeo. But in the memo, both leaders trash Yovanovitch. Lawmakers also are trying to establish what role Pompeo played in an earlier holdup of hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine. The Trump administration had placed the financial assistance on hold before Trump spoke to Zelensky and asked him to look into the Bidens.
A former U.S. official in touch with people in the Trump administration said Pompeo was unhappy with the hold placed by the White House Office of Management and Budget on the Ukraine funding. Pompeo himself has largely stayed out of the conversation, with the notable exception of a Sunday talk show appearance in which he appeared to indirectly defend Giuliani’s contacts with Ukrainians. In doing so, the secretary raised an unsubstantiated question of whether Biden had somehow interfered in the 2016 election.
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