Pompeo Defends Booting NPR Reporter from Trip: Journalists Get to Participate When They’re ‘Honest’
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was asked about booting an NPR reporter from traveling with the press pool on his trip, and suggested it was because of a lack of “honesty.”
To briefly recap: Pompeo went on a tear against NPR host Mary Louise Kelly for confronting him on about Ukraine in a recent interview. Kelly said he dropped f-bombs and asked her to point to Ukraine on a map. After Pompeo issued an angry public statement accusing her of lying, another NPR diplomatic correspondent Michele Kelemen was removed from Pompeo’s plane in what was widely decried as an act of retaliation.
Last week NPR said they were seeking a “clarification” from Pompeo on why their reporter was booted from the plane.
Today in Kazakhstan, journalist Aigerim Toleukhan asked the Secretary of State about that decision.
Pompeo defended removing NPR from the plane and said the following:
“I didn’t have a confrontational interview with an NPR reporter any more than I have confrontational interviews all the time in America. That’s the greatness of our nation. Reporters like yourself ask me any question, all questions, we take hundreds and hundreds of questions… That’s how we proceed in America. With respect to who travels with me, I always bring a big press contingent, but we ask for certain sets of behaviors, and that’s simply telling the truth and being honest, and when they’ll do that, they get to participate, and if they don’t, it’s just not appropriate — frankly it’s not fair to the rest of the journalists who are participating alongside of them.”
When asked what kind of message that sends, Pompeo said, “It’s a perfect message about press freedoms.”
You can watch his comments above, via Radio Free Europe, and read more from the transcript of the exchange here:
Interesting exchange between Secretary Pompeo and Aigerim Toleukhanova of Radio Azattyq in Kazakhstan. pic.twitter.com/Ys3xeWyoLz
— Michele Kelemen (@michelekelemen) February 2, 2020
