August 30, 2020

Rep. Eliot Engel says committee plans to hold Pompeo in contempt

House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., said Friday it is working on a resolution to hold Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in contempt for refusing to comply with subpoenas issued by the committee.

Earlier this month, the committee issued subpoenas to four witnesses in its investigation into the firing of State Department Inspector General Steve Linick in June by President Donald Trump.

Democrats had accused Trump of firing Linick because he was investigating Pompeo's role in a controversial $8 billion weapons sale to Saudi Arabia. He was also under scrutiny for using a staffer for personal business, like walking his dog and picking up dry cleaning.

Engel said Pompeo has refused to comply with the committee's subpoena for records into his supposed misuse of department resources, calling it an "unprecedented record of obstruction and defiance."

"From Mr. Pompeo's refusal to cooperate with the impeachment inquiry to his willingness to bolster a Senate Republican-led smear against the President's political rivals to his speech to the [Republican National Convention] which defied his own guidance and possibly the law, he has demonstrated alarming disregard for the laws and rules governing his own conduct and for the tools the constitution provides to prevent government corruption," Engels said in a statement.

Engels accused Pompeo of running the State Department for his personal and political benefit.

*-- More Progressive News, Views & Issues --*

House Democrats limit subpoenas seeking Trump's financial information
House Democrats on Wednesday narrowed the scope of subpoenas seeking President Donald Trump's financial records. The House intelligence committee announced it would narrow its subpoena seeking financial records of Trump from Deutsche Bank and his family members and the House financial services committee also narrowed its subpoena to...

To continue reading this article please Click Here.


Pentagon to crowdsource input on improving diversity, inclusion
The Department of Defense is crowdsourcing input from service members and civilian DoD employees for ways to better promote diversity and inclusion in the department. Defense Secretary Mark Esper asked for the process as part of a Board on Diversity and Inclusion the Pentagon convened in July as part of a raft of diversity initiatives he announced in June.

To continue reading this article please Click Here.