Secretary of state Mike Pompeo
Michael (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 He said Thursday that the State Department warned Russian officials of all threats that Russia poses to American and American interests in various parts of the world.
Pompeo was pressured during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Russia’s reports paying rewards to Taliban fighters for killing US troops in Afghanistan.
The secretary of state did not comment on whether he specifically voiced the reward allegations, but told the panel that Russia’s threats against Americans in the Middle East and elsewhere were discussed.
“Yes, I can assure you that every time I have spoken with [Russian] Foreign Minister [Sergey] Lavrov, I have raised all the issues that put any American at risk, “Pompeo said in response to a question from the committee’s top Democrat, the senator. Bob Menendez
Robert (Bob) Menéndez VO Visa Decision May Hinder Venezuela’s Coverage Conclusion Koch-backed group urges Senate to oppose “bailouts” of states in new announcements MORE (NEW JERSEY).
“We have raised this at my level and not only at my level,” added Pompeo.
Pompeo has previously delayed reporting of Russian rewards, which were first reported by The New York Times and The Washington Post, accusing journalists of spreading misinformation.
When the reports emerged, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany denied that President Trump
Donald 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 MORE and Vice President Pence were briefed on intelligence, but did not deny that intelligence was accurate.
A White House spokeswoman stressed this week that reports “They relied on unverified information,” but said, “We still take it very seriously.”
“The security of US forces is the president’s top priority in Afghanistan,” White House director of strategic communications Alyssa Farah tweeted, noting that the intelligence assessment was also shared with Capitol Hill.
“Our country has seen the very real consequences of overreacting to unverified intelligence in the past. @RealDonaldTrump will not repeat these same mistakes,” he added.
Pompeo’s Senate testimony came a day after Trump confirmed he did not mention intelligence with Russian president Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin 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. Trump’s plan to withdraw 11,900 soldiers from Germany. If Biden wins, why do some suppose he will only serve one term? PLUS.
The secretary of state declined to say whether I would recommend that Trump raise the issue with Putin.
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