Pompeo Gives Trump Cover On His Bogus Ukraine Conspiracy Theory, Floats Potential Probe

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appears with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto (not pictured) at the foreign ministry on February 11, 2019 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Laszlo Balogh/Getty images)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

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.

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.

Latest News

Notable Replies

  1. You’re not in Kansas anymore, Fatso!

  2. Avatar for ghost ghost says:

    Even when that information comes directly from Putin and the Kremlin to serve Putin’s purposes and distract from Russia’s own proven attacks on our elections. Especially then, because we’ve got to keep the Russians happy, Pompeo added.

  3. I’ve got some evidence:

    image

  4. Avatar for ur ur says:

    Wow – Pompeo is trying really really hard to wrest the ‘Biggest A$$hole’ Cabinet member trophy from Barr isn’t he?

  5. Man, the plate-spinning going on with these folks! It must be fucking exhausting.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

119 more replies

Participants

Avatar for dr_coyote Avatar for butlerknights Avatar for old_curmudgeon Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for krusher Avatar for bluinmaine Avatar for Lacuna-Synecdoche Avatar for carlosfiance Avatar for psudawnc Avatar for ralph_vonholst Avatar for danny Avatar for 26degreesrising Avatar for zlohcuc Avatar for floydmaster Avatar for edgarant Avatar for caltg Avatar for birdford Avatar for redemptionsong Avatar for deva Avatar for cub_calloway Avatar for gregor Avatar for zillacop Avatar for emiliano4 Avatar for AM_PM

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: