Pompeo and legislators get entangled by withdrawal of German troops

Senators from both sides of the hallway questioned the Secretary of State on Thursday. Mike PompeoMichael (Mike) Richard PompeoHillicon Valley: House panel quizzes tech CEOs during highly anticipated antitrust hearing | TikTok will make the code public as it rejects ‘disinformation’ | Intel House of Representatives panel expands access to foreign disinformation evidence Overnight Defense: United States to Withdraw 11,900 Soldiers from Germany | Troops Shuffle Cost ‘Several Billions’ of Dollars | Lawmakers plan to cut bread | Trump says he has not discussed alleged rewards with the Putin administration Trump imposes new sanctions on Syria MORE on the decision to withdraw US troops from Germany, criticizing the move as alienation of allies and weakening the United States against Russia and China.

The Pentagon announced Wednesday that it would go ahead President TrumpDonald John Trump Governor Approval Rates Drop As COVID-19 Cases Rise Gohmert Says He Will Take Hydroxychloroquine As Treatment For Virginia Governor COVID-19, Senators Seek CDC Help With Coronavirus Outbreak In Center immigration detention MOREThe previous call to move some 12,000 US soldiers from Germany, more than half are expected to return to the United States and the rest deployed to Europe.

Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee expressed concerns with Pompeo about the decision.

Senator Mitt romneyWillard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyGOP pursues ‘Plan B’ as coronavirus talks hit wall Defense overnight: United States to withdraw 11,900 troops from Germany | Troops Shuffle Cost ‘Several Billions’ of Dollars | Lawmakers plan to cut bread | Trump says he has not discussed the alleged rewards with Putin’s lawmakers. (R-Utah) said it had spoken to the highest levels of the German government, who said they considered an “insult to Germany” that the United States would withdraw troops from the country.

“I cannot imagine at a time when we need to attract our friends and allies so that we can collectively confront China, that we want to insult them,” he told Pompeo.

Romney is one of Trump’s most vocal Republican critics, calling the initial troop removal announcement a “serious mistake” and a “slap” on the allies the United States needs to confront China and Russia.

Senator Jeanne shaheenCynthia (Jeanne) Jeanne Shaheen In The Money: Meadows says benefits will expire as negotiators struggle to reach agreement | Trump launches short-term pact | The Fed keeps rates close to zero as the economy faces a coronavirus hit. Russia claims to approve COVID-19 vaccine in mid-August The Hill’s Report 12:30 pm – Presented by Facebook – Top tech executives testify at highly successful antitrust hearing MORE (DN.H.), who is also a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, pressured the secretary on whether to take Germany’s alienation into account and threatened the United States’ ability to deter Russia.

“I don’t understand, it was the effect of diplomatically alienating Germany – who is the largest and richest country in the EU, which has been a historical and strategic ally – Was that also taken into account? Shaheen said.

The secretary rejected that Germany is no longer a front-line country and said the United States consulted with NATO on the decision to reposition the troops.

“I am very sure that our mission to deter Russia, NATO’s mission to deter Russia, we are still fully capable of executing that,” the secretary said.

However, senator Rob PortmanRobert (Rob) Jones PortmanSenate report says Russian oligarchs evade US sanctions through high-value Hillicon Valley art purchases: Feds warn hackers of attacking critical infrastructure | Twitter exploring subscription service | The bill would grant the DHS cyber agency subpoena The defense spending bill passed by the Senate includes a clause granting the DHS cyber agency subpoena MORE (R-Ohio), while saying it supported the decision to relocate troops from Germany, expressed concern about the 6,400 US soldiers expected to return to the US.

“I think pulling troops out of Germany is a good idea, if they stay in Europe,” he said, calling for troops to be deployed in Poland, the Baltic States and Eastern Europe.

“I agree that Germany is not the right place for the number of troops we have; rather, it should be closer to where the action is and, frankly, to the countries with the highest risk at the moment, “she said.

Pompeo said the United States has not yet completed the defense cooperation agreement with Poland and referred the Department of Defense to where those redistributed troops would go.

Trump announced last month that he hoped to sign a defense cooperation agreement with the Polish president during his visit to the White House.