Pompeo Escalates NPR Clash, Bars Reporter From Plane

Politico reports:

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s quarrel with NPR escalated on Monday night after one of the radio network’s reporters was barred from flying on the secretary’s plane during an upcoming trip to Ukraine.

Michele Kelemen, a veteran reporter for the network, was removed from the list of reporters allowed to fly with Pompeo on a trip to Eastern Europe, only days after the secretary reportedly exploded at another NPR reporter for asking questions about Ukraine. The State Department Correspondents’ Association swiftly condemned the move in a statement.

The correspondents association concluded that the exclusion was in retaliation for a testy exchange between Pompeo and NPR host Mary Louise Kelly on Friday morning.