Mike Pompeo accuses NPR reporter of lying

Commentary

But emails support NPR host after Pompeo calls her a liar in setting up contentious interview

The Washington Post reported that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says an NPR host lied in setting up an interview with him on Friday.

“In an extraordinary statement issued on State Department letterhead on Saturday, Pompeo blasted (veteran NPR host, Mary Louise) Kelly for repeatedly asking him why he refused to express support for the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch. Kelly said afterward Pompeo berated her using profanity and challenged her to locate Ukraine on an unmarked map, which Kelly said she did.

“NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly lied to me, twice,” Pompeo said in his statement. “First, last month, in setting up our interview and, then again yesterday, in agreeing to have our post-interview conversation off the record. It is shameful that this reporter chose to violate the basic rules of journalism and decency.”

Not only did Pompeo issue a statement, he tweeted, “Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips and spreads slander is a fool’ -Proverbs 10:18”

Really?

One problem, Mike: Emails, obtained by the Post, indicate that Pompeo’s staff was aware that Kelly would ask Pompeo about several topics in the interview and raised no objections, contrary to Pompeo’s characterization.

• “Just wanted to touch base that we still intend to keep the interview to Iran tomorrow,” (Pompeo press aide, Katie) Martin wrote. “Know you just got back from Tehran so we would like to stick to Iran as the topic as opposed to jumping around. Is that something we can agree to?”
• Martin replied, “Totally understand you want to ask other topics but just hoping . . . we can stick to that topic for a healthy portion of the interview . . . Wouldn’t want to spend the interview on questions he’s answered many times for the last several months.”
• Kelly: “My plan is to start with Iran and, yes, to spend a healthy portion of the interview there. Iran has been my focus of late as well. And yes — I also would not want to waste time on questions he’s answered many times in recent months.”

So, who’s the fool spreading slander?

Or, is this a case of “The pot calling the kettle black – Cervantes, Don Quixote; 1620 English translation”?

And, not one to join a slanderous conversation, in this case to support one of his favorite topics, eliminating Public Broadcasting and NPR, the man who currently occupies the White House, Donald John Trump (I), jumped in with his own re-tweet of a comment from Mark Levin, characterized by Rolling Stone as “a bomb-throwing Trump sycophant, who is both a conservative radio and Fox News host.”

For more on the Pompeo/NPR “spat,” read this from Rolling Stone:

After Pompeo’s Bullying, Trump Signals a Renewed Push to Defund NPR

Recognizing how busy you are, in a service to Around the Block readers who don’t have the time to read the Rolling Stone article, I offer up this excerpt of Kelly’s conversation with Mike “Pious” Pompeo

Kelly reported Pompeo asked her, “Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?” And then according to Kelly, “…used the F-word in that sentence and many others.”

“Pious Mike” indeed.