The chairmen of the House Foreign Affairs, Intelligence, and Oversight Committees issued a joint warning to Sec. of State Mike Pompeo to stop intimidating witnesses to protect himself and Trump.
In a statement provided to PoliticusUSA, Rep. Eliot L. Engel, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Rep. Adam B. Schiff, Chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform said:
Secretary Pompeo was reportedly on the call when the President pressed Ukraine to smear his political opponent. If true, Secretary Pompeo is now a fact witness in the House impeachment inquiry. He should immediately cease intimidating Department witnesses in order to protect himself and the President.
Any effort to intimidate witnesses or prevent them from talking with Congress—including State Department employees—is illegal and will constitute evidence of obstruction of the impeachment inquiry. In response, Congress may infer from this obstruction that any withheld documents and testimony would reveal information that corroborates the whistleblower complaint.
The Committees are operating pursuant to our long-established authorities as well as the impeachment inquiry. We’re committed to protecting witnesses from harassment and intimidation, and we expect their full compliance and that of the Department of State.
House Democrats have given Pompeo enough rope to hang himself. It is perhaps only a matter of time until Pompeo is impeached along with Trump. The central players in the whistleblower cover-up are President Donald Trump, his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Attorney General William Barr. The President and two high-level cabinet members have been implicated in a Ukraine conspiracy that is looking more criminal by the day.
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Pompeo is trying to protect himself and Trump, but the American people are seeing the power of impeachment. Trump is the head of the corrupt snake, but before it is all said and done, there may not be a single member of his cabinet who isn’t implicated in illegal activity.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
