- Title: Pompeo confirms he was on call between Trump and Ukraine leader
- Date: 2nd October 2019
- Summary: ROME, ITALY (OCTOBER 2, 2019) (REUTERS) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO AND ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER LUIGI DI MAIO HOLDING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE, MIKE POMPEO, SAYING: "The predicate of your final question about objecting to what the folks in Capitol Hill have asked, is fundamentally not true. What we objected to was the demands that were put that are...deeply violate the fundamental principles of separation of powers, they contacted the State Department employees directly, told them not to contact legal counsel at the State Department, that's what it's been reported to us. They said that the State Department would have not be able to be present, there are important constitutional prerogatives that the executive branch has to be present so that we can protect important information so our partners, countries like Italy, can have confidence that the information that they provide to the State Department will continue to be protected. So, the response that I provided to them was one that acknowledged that we will of course do our constitutional duty to cooperate with this co-equal branch but we are going to do so in a way that is consistent with the fundamental values of the American system. We won't tolerate folks on Capitol Hill bullying and intimidating State Department employees, that's unacceptable and it's not something that I'm going to permit to happen." MEDIA FILMING / NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE, MIKE POMPEO, SAYING: "As for was I on the phone call (July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President)? I was on the phone call. The phone call was in the context of...now I guess I've been Secretary of State for a year and a half, I know precisely what the American policy is with respect to Ukraine and it's been remarkably consistent. We will continue to try to drive those set of outcomes, it's what our team, including Ambassador (Trump's forward special representative for Ukraine Kurt) Volker was focused on was taking down the threat that Russia poses there in Ukraine, it was about helping the Ukrainians to get graft out and corruption outside of their government and to help now this new government in the Ukraine for the successful thriving economy. It's what State Department officials that I have the privilege to lead have been engaged in and it's what we'll continue to do, even while all this noise is going on." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS
- Embargoed: 16th October 2019 12:31
- Keywords: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy probe impeachment Russia Ukraine U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo United States former Vice President Joe Biden President Donald Trump
- Location: ROME, ITALY
- City: ROME, ITALY
- Country: Italy
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001AZEN3NR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed on Wednesday (October 2) that he was on a contested call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukraine's leader, saying it was a legitimate conversation that focused on U.S. policy priorities.
Following a whistleblower complaint last week, Democrats are looking into Trump's request to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during the July 25 phone call to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden. Biden is a leading contender in the Democratic race to run against Republican Trump in the 2020 election.
"I was on the phone call," Pompeo told reporters during a visit to Italy, adding that it came within the context of U.S. policymaking, including cutting corruption in the east European state and "taking down the threat Russia poses there in Ukraine".
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