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Pompeo blasts ‘harassment’ over probe

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ATHENS: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday accused members of Congress of harassing his department to obtain documents linked to an impeachment investigation against President Donald Trump.


“There have been congressional inquiries that have harassed and abused State Department employees by contacting them directly and seeking to have them provide documents... that belong to the State Department, that are official US government records” he said during a visit in Greece.


“That’s harassment. And I’m never going to let that happen to my team.”


The US congressional committees leading the impeachment probe cranked up the heat on the White House this week amid mounting evidence that Trump may have illicitly used his office to enlist Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s help to damage the bid of 2020 Democratic rival Joe Biden in exchange for military aid.


After dodging questions for days, Pompeo finally confirmed on Wednesday that he had been on the telephone call when Trump pressed Ukraine for damaging information on Biden.


Pompeo’s Democratic critics say he is now a “witness” caught in a conflict of interest that should rule him out of decisions on how the State Department deals with the investigation.


He has been accused of “stonewalling” the investigation and trying to limit what his staff could discuss if they testify.


Pompeo, who has been subpoenaed in the probe, said on Saturday his department would provide “all the documents required by the law”, at a press conference in Athens.


The US top official was in Greece to reinforce cooperation with its Nato ally, signing an amendment to a mutual defence agreement.


The latest explosive turns in the impeachment investigation against Trump came as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Democratic-led congressional committees leading the inquiry of having “harassed and abused” State Department employees by contacting them directly for documents rather than going through department lawyers.


“That’s harassment,” Pompeo said during a visit to Athens, “and I’m never going to let that happen to my team.”


The House committees leading the probe issued their subpoenas as evidence mounted that Trump abused his powers by attempting to use US military aid to pressure Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to seek damaging information on 2020 Democratic rival Joe Biden.


The investigations were touched off by reports that an original whistleblower — reportedly a CIA analyst — had filed a formal complaint to the intelligence community inspector general about Trump’s alleged pressuring of Zelensky.


Trump and his supporters have aggressively attacked that still-anonymous whistleblower — Trump denounced the person as “close to a spy” and a Democrat operating with second-hand information.


In a tweet early on Saturday, Trump said that “the so-called Whistleblower’s account of my perfect phone call is ‘way off,’ not even close... This is a fraud against the American people!”


But if a second whistleblower emerges, and if that person in fact has more direct information about the events in question, as the New York Times reported late on Friday, the allegations would become more difficult to shrug off.


The Times said the second official was among those interviewed by inspector general Michael Atkinson about the allegations lodged by the original whistleblower.


The newspaper, citing two people briefed on the matter, said the second official was still pondering whether to lodge a formal complaint.


Congressional investigators led by House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff have promised a quick and expeditious inquiry, but said on Friday that the White House was not cooperating.


“The White House has refused to engage with — or even respond to — multiple requests for documents,” said a letter signed by the Democratic chairmen of the House oversight, intelligence and foreign affairs committees. — AFP


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