Tag Archives: Mike Pompeo

The Associated Press reports: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a lightning visit to Baghdad on Tuesday to show U.S. support for the Iraqi government as Washington steps up warnings to Iran against any action against American interests in the Middle East. The unannounced trip began and ended after nightfall and under heavy security. Pompeo’s visit came as the …

ABC News reports: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday praised the Arctic region — and its rapidly shrinking levels of sea ice — for its economic opportunities, despite continued warnings about the catastrophic effects of climate change. “The Arctic is at the forefront of opportunity and abundance,” Pompeo said in remarks in Rovaniemi, Finland. “It houses 13 percent of …

Politico reports: Donald Trump has finally found an international organization he likes — a highly select club whose members preside over a frozen wasteland atop the world. The Trump administration will throw a spotlight this week on America’s presence in the Arctic, a region the president’s team sees as “an arena of global power and competition,” as Secretary of State …

Axios reports: Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó posted a video to Twitter on Tuesday calling for a military uprising while surrounded by soldiers and a detained activist, per the AP. Guaidó’s stance against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has so far been relatively peaceful, but Tuesday’s video marks a significant escalation in his strategy — which the Trump administration “fully supports,” …

The New York Times reports: The United States has revoked the visa of the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor because of her attempts to investigate allegations of war crimes in Afghanistan, including any that may have been committed by American forces. The visa revocation — confirmed on Friday by the office of the chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and the State …

The Daily Beast reports: Mike Pompeo, the U.S. secretary of state, and the State Department have declined to directly condemn a new law in Brunei stipulating the stoning to death of LGBT people. In follow-up questions, The Daily Beast then asked if Pompeo and the State Department specifically objected to the violently anti-LGBT law, set to take effect on April …

CBS News reports: During his high-profile visit to Israel, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said President Trump could be a present-day Queen Esther, a figure in Hebrew and Christian biblical stories who is said to have thwarted a plan to exterminate the Jewish people. Pompeo said Mr. Trump’s tough stance on Iran gave him the distinction. “Could it be that …

The Hill reports: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo quipped on Monday that he intends to stay in his role until President Trump “tweets” him out of a job. Pompeo was asked at a speaking engagement in Kansas how he liked being secretary of State and how long he planned to stay on the job. “I’m going to be there until …

The Associated Press reports: The United States will revoke or deny visas to International Criminal Court personnel who try to investigate or prosecute alleged abuses committed by U.S. forces in Afghanistan or elsewhere, and may do the same with those who seeking action against Israel, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday. The Hague-based court, the first global tribunal for …

Foreign Policy reports: Jessikka Aro, a Finnish investigative journalist, has faced down death threats and harassment over her work exposing Russia’s propaganda machine long before the 2016 U.S. presidential elections. In January, the U.S. State Department took notice, telling Aro she would be honored with the prestigious International Women of Courage Award, to be presented in Washington by Secretary of …

Politico reports: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed Sunday that North Korea remains a nuclear threat, straying from past comments President Donald Trump has made, but the secretary of state also maintained that the country’s leader Kim Jong Un continues to show commitment to denuclearizing the area. When pressed about Trump no longer seeing North Korea as a nuclear threat, …

NBC News reports: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “ruled out” a bid for the Senate from Kansas in 2020. “I love Kansas,” he said Thursday of the state he served in the House prior to leading the State Department during a live interview on “Today.” Pompeo added that he will serve as secretary of state as long as Trump will …

CNN reports: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Friday that the US is withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, a key pact with Russia that has been a centerpiece of European security since the Cold War. “For years, Russia has violated the terms of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty without remorse,” Pompeo said at the State Department Friday. The …

Issued today by the State Department: Exercise increased caution in China due to arbitrary enforcement of local laws as well as special restrictions on dual U.S.-Chinese nationals. Chinese authorities have asserted broad authority to prohibit U.S. citizens from leaving China by using ‘exit bans,’ sometimes keeping U.S. citizens in China for years. China uses exit bans coercively: to compel U.S. …

The Washington Post reports: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will head a U.S. delegation to Brazil seeking to foster closer ties with the far-right incoming president, Jair Bolsonaro, and discuss ways to counter the Venezuelan government. Pompeo will leave Washington for Brasilia on New Year’s Eve to attend Bolsonaro’s inauguration the following day before heading to Colombia. He plans to …

The Associated Press reports: The United States pledged $5.8 billion in aid Tuesday for strengthening government and economic development in Central America, and another $4.8 billion in development aid for southern Mexico. The U.S aid aims to promote better security conditions and job opportunities as part of a regional plan to allow Central Americans and Mexicans to remain in their …

“I wanted to address a term that I used on this show on Wednesday that was vulgar. I knew it right away and I tweeted that it was a terrible choice of words and that I was sorry. But, please allow me to say this face to face: The term is crass and offensive and I apologize to everyone, especially …

The Washington Examiner reports: President Trump called out MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski after she was slammed with heavy criticism following her use of a what some characterized as a homophobic phrase to describe Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s response to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. When discussing what she characterized as an uninspired response from Pompeo to the killing of …

Talking Points Memo reports: MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski referred to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as “a wannabe dictator’s butt boy” on Wednesday. She later apologized for the remark. On Twitter, Brzezinski expressed regret for her “SUPER BAD choice of words.” She made the comment during a discussion of the Trump administration’s muted response to journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder in the …

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appeared on Fox & Friends this morning where he appeared to deny that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince ordered the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Brian Kilmeade noted that many members of Congress are convinced of Salman’s guilt, especially after CIA Director Gina Haspel briefed lawmakers about the evidence collected by her team. To this point, Kilmeade …