Jan 28, 2020

Trump to Pompeo: "You did a good job on" NPR reporter

Axios

President Trump referenced Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's conflict with NPR's Mary Louise Kelly during Tuesday's announcement of the Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, saying that he "did a good job on her, actually."

"That reporter couldn't have done too good of a job on you yesterday. Think you did a good job on her, actually. ... Are you running for Senate? I guess the answer is no after that, huh?"

The backdrop: Pompeo accused Kelly of lying while setting up the terms of their interview, but did not deny her account of the post-interview conversation — namely, that he forced her to point out Ukraine on an unlabeled world map and shouted expletives at her.

Go deeper: Pompeo releases scathing statement against NPR reporter

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Rashaan Ayesh

Pompeo releases scathing statement against NPR reporter

Photo: Ezequiel Becerra/AFP via Getty Images

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo released a scathing statement on Saturday against NPR's Mary Louise Kelly following an interview, claiming, their talk "is another example of how unhinged the media has become in its quest to hurt President Trump and this Administration," but not denying her account.

Context: Kelly interviewed Pompeo on Jan. 24 regarding U.S. policy in Iran and former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. Kelly claims Pompeo used multiple expletives in a private meeting that followed the interview.

Go deeperArrowJan 25, 2020
Ursula Perano

NPR reporter defends 1st Amendment rights after Mike Pompeo encounter

Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly authored a New York Times op-ed Tuesday about her encounter with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and why she's refused to back down on her reporting.

What she's saying: "There is a reason that freedom of the press is enshrined in the Constitution," Kelly said. "There is a reason it matters that people in positions of power — people charged with steering the foreign policy of entire nations — be held to account. The stakes are too high for their impulses and decisions not to be examined in as thoughtful and rigorous an interview as is possible."

Go deeperArrowJan 29, 2020
Jacob Knutson

Pompeo says denying credentials to NPR sends "perfect message about press freedoms"

Photo: Natalia Fedosenko\TASS via Getty Images

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended the State Department's decision to deny NPR press credentials for his trip to Europe following his confrontation with reporter Mary Louise Kelly, stating in an interview in Kazakhstan Sunday that it sends "a perfect message about press freedoms" to the world.

The backdrop: In an NPR interview in January, Kelly pressed Pompeo about his reluctance to defend former Ukraine Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch after she was the victim of a smear campaign. After the interview ended, Kelly says Pompeo took her into his private living room and berated her, asking if she could even find Ukraine on a map.

Go deeperArrowFeb 2, 2020 - Politics & Policy