Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday refused to answer questions about whether he was aware in 2017 about the FBI opening a counterintelligence investigation into President Donald Trump.
During an interview on NBC’s “Today Show†Pompeo was asked if he knew that the FBI launched an investigation into Trump in May 2017, when Pompeo was serving as CIA director.
Recognizing that any answer he gave would create headlines, Pompeo chickened out and completely ignored the question. Instead he started spewing the party line and attacked former deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, knowing that is what his boss Donald Trump wanted to hear.
“Wow. Mike Pompeo, who was CIA director when FBI opened counterintelligence investigation into Trump in May 2017, refuses to answer questions about if he knew about it. Bizarrely, he ends his non-answer by referring further questions to Vladimir Putin.”
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
Wow. Mike Pompeo, who was CIA director when FBI opened counterintelligence investigation into Trump in May 2017, refuses to answer questions about if he knew about it.
Bizarrely, he ends his non-answer by referring further questions to Vladimir Putin. pic.twitter.com/9eO6RsYcSa
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 21, 2019
“I find it sad that Andrew McCabe had the Inspector General from the organization where he worked for forever declare he wasn’t credible,†Pompeo said. “That’s unfortunate, so I don’t put a lot of stock into the things Mr. McCabe said. My work at the CIA was always aimed at the singular purpose of keeping America safe.â€
The “Today Show†interviewer then pressed further and asked Pompeo whether he was aware of the counterintelligence investigation into the president which McCabe had said he began after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey.
Pompeo responded:
“I don’t talk about ongoing investigations or the absence of ongoing investigations. For two years I’ve protected that, and I’ll protect it again today. But know this: This administration has been tougher on Russia than the previous administration by far.â€
“The only person you really need to ask about that is Vladimir Putin.”
Pompeo Makes Clear He Is Working For Trump, Not For the United States
As CIA Director in 2017 Mike Pompeo was in on the meetings that Andrew McCabe said took place to discuss whether Donald Trump was working for Russia. Also in on the meetings were prominent Republican members of Congress.
Now both Pompeo and these Republicans are pretending that the meetings in 2017 never took place. However they not only attended the meetings, they also (by their silence) gave their tacit consent to the FBI investigation into the president.
Everyone feared at the time that Trump may be working for Russian President Vladimir Putin, and those fears are still valid. All that’s changed over the past two years is that partisan political operatives like Mike Pompeo have lost their nerve. They no longer are willing to stand up and do what’s right for America. Instead they have capitulated to the demands of the autocratic dictator-wannabe in the White House.
History will not be kind to Mike Pompeo and Republicans like him who, when given a chance to do the right thing for their country, did not do it. Pompeo has given in to fear and the desire for power, but someday soon the truth will come out, and his boss, the President of the United States, will be revealed to have been a traitor to his country.
CLICK HERE to watch the entire Today Show interview with Mike Pompeo
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
