Deflect criticism

Pompeo tries to deflect criticism about Trump administration's approach to Russia

The secretary of state, testifying before a Senate panel, also defended his push to oust an inspector general.

By NAHAL TOOSI

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday defended the Trump administration’s approach to Russia as well as his push to oust an inspector general amid withering criticism from Senate Democrats.

Pompeo listed an array of moves the administration has taken, including imposing sanctions on prominent Russians, in protecting the United States against Kremlin disinformation efforts and other measures.

However, citing classification concerns, Pompeo would not specifically say whether he’s pressed his Russian counterparts on allegations that Moscow is offering bounties to the Afghan Taliban to kill U.S. soldiers. He insisted more broadly that the State Department raises all topics of concern with Russia.

“I can assure you and the American people that each time I’ve spoken with [Russian Foreign Minister Sergey] Lavrov, I have raised all of the issues that put any American interests at risk, whether it’s our soldiers on the ground in Syria, soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan, the activities that are taking place in Libya, the actions in Ukraine,” Pompeo said during a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Pompeo’s comments followed President Donald Trump’s acknowledgment in a recent interview that he has not raised the issue of the bounties in conversations with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Trump has indicated he does not believe the reports about the bounties and that the intelligence is not definitive.

It was the first time in more than a year that Pompeo has appeared before the Republican-led Senate committee. The hearing was supposed to be about Trump’s latest budget request for the State Department — he once again proposed massive cuts that Congress is sure to ignore — but senators used the occasion to question Pompeo on a range of foreign policy matters.

Democrats in particular lashed the secretary, arguing that the State Department is struggling under his leadership. Earlier this week, the Democratic staff of the committee released a report pointing to numerous problems at the department, including a slew of vacancies in key positions.

“The best people don’t seem to want to work for you,” Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey said to Pompeo on Thursday.

Pompeo has dismissed concerns about morale in the department. He’s also blamed Democratic senators, especially Menendez, for putting holds on nominees for vacant slots. Democrats say the nominees are unqualified or otherwise flawed.

Pompeo also faced questions about his decision to ask the president to fire State Department inspector general Steve Linick. Trump ousted Linick in mid-May. Linick happened to be overseeing two probes that dealt with behavior by Pompeo.

Pompeo insisted again Thursday that he only knew of one of those investigations, alluding to a probe into his decision to push through arms sales to Saudi Arabia despite resistance from Congress. The other probe involves whether Pompeo and his wife, Susan, have improperly used State Department resources.

In defending the watchdog’s firing, Pompeo has claimed that Linick wasn’t doing a good job and wasn’t supporting the State Department’s mission.

On Thursday, he alleged that Linick had failed to properly monitor the department’s finances. He asserted, for instance, the inspector general’s office had done fewer audits of diplomatic posts worldwide. He also insisted that Linick’s office had low morale.

“He refused to take care of his team in important ways,” Pompeo said of Linick.

Linick has told lawmakers his firing took him by surprise. He was one of several inspectors general fired by Trump in recent months in what Democrats say is an attempt by the president to escape accountability.