Pompeo in trouble over Trump’s Ukraine scandal

It seems that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is not safe from the Ukraine scandal, which prompted an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump. It is alleged that State Department officials have been involved in the White House’s inappropriate contact with the Ukrainian government. The allegations, if proven true, are expected to deal a serious blow to the political career of Pompeo who is toying with the idea of running for the Senate.

On Friday (local time), the House Foreign Affairs Committee subpoenaed Pompeo, one of Trump’s most trusted advisors, to submit documents concerning the Ukraine scandal. It is the first subpoena issued by Democrats since the investigation began on Tuesday. Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump's personal attorney who is considered a key player in the scandal, said in an interview that the talks with Ukrainian officials were arranged “with assistance from the State Department.” Congress had requested the State Department to hand over documents by Thursday since the allegations arose on Sept. 9, but Pompeo did not respond.

When asked a question about the allegations in a press conference on Thursday in New York, Pompeo said “Each of the actions that were undertaken by state department officials is entirely appropriate and consistent with the objective that we had.”


lightee@donga.com