Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signaled on Tuesday that he would be open to investigating President Donald Trump’s bogus conspiracy theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 elections, even though that claim has been thoroughly debunked.
“Any time there is information that indicates that any country has messed with American elections, we not only have a right but a duty to make sure we chase that down,” Pompeo said when asked if the U.S. would pursue an investigation into the conspiracy theory.
The U.S. intelligence community has concluded unequivocally that it was Russia who meddled in the 2016 election, and last week former National Security Council adviser Fiona Hill slammed the Ukraine conspiracy theory as a “fictional narrative” propagated by “Russian security services themselves.”
Yet Pompeo pushed the false claim anyway on Tuesday, asserting that the U.S. “should leave no stone unturned.”
“Whatever nation it is that we have information that so much as suggests that there might have been interference or an effort to interfere in our elections, we have an obligation to make sure that the American people get to go to the ballot box, cast their ballots in a way that is unimpacted by these malevolent actors trying to undermine our Western democratic values,” he said.
Pompeo when asked if U.S. should investigate debunked conspiracy theory that Ukraine hacked the DNC's emails: “Any time there is information that indicates that any country has messed with American elections, we not only have a right but a duty to make sure we chase that down.” pic.twitter.com/sSPQuTlQGZ
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) November 26, 2019
When Pompeo was asked he was considering testifying in the House impeachment probe after Trump tweeted he “would love” Pompeo to do so, the secretary of state was vague.
“When the time is right, all good things happen,” he said with a smile.
Pompey on whether he’ll testify in impeachment probe: “When the time is right, all good things happen.” pic.twitter.com/vvWEEAiJLT
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) November 26, 2019
