Oct 1, 2019 - Politics & Policy

Pompeo was present during Trump's Ukraine call: Reports

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (R) listens as President Donald Trump holds a press conference in New York, September 25, 2019, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listens as President Trump holds a press conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, New York, Sept. 25. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in on President Tump's phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart that led to the whistleblower complaint and ensuing formal impeachment inquiry, the Wall Street Journal first reported Monday. CNN and NBC also report that Pompeo was on the call.

Why it matters: It was not previously reported that Pompeo was present during the call. The reports come as 3 House committees have subpoenaed Pompeo for documents related to investigations on whether Trump jeopardized national security by pressuring Ukraine's president to investigate Biden during the July 25 call.

  • Per NBC, "Pompeo dodged questions about the phone call and the complaint during an interview with ABC's 'This Week' on Sept. 22, days before the White House released a summary of the call that showed Trump asking about the Bidens' dealings in Ukraine."
  • CNN notes that Pompeo said last week he had yet to read the full whistleblower complaint.

The big picture: Pompeo, who departed Monday for a 6-day European trip to Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Greece, has yet to publicly comment on the reports.

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