Sec. Pompeo declines to address specific questions about former Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch or Bill Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine—both of whom have been attacked by the president and the White House.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pushed back against growing criticism over his silence while President Donald Trump has attacked the veteran U.S. diplomats who have testified in the House impeachment hearings.
Yovanovitch, who said she came under attack by Trump's allies, including personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, was accused of giving Ukraine's former prosecutor-general, a"do not prosecute" list and blocking his investigations into Democrats. At the time, the State Department called those allegations an"outright fabrication" that"does not correspond to reality," but they appear to have influenced Trump's decision to recall Yovanovitch from her post early.
Still, he denied any"nefarious purposes" for Yovanovitch's"departure" from Ukraine, saying,"It was Bill Taylor that replaced Ambassador Yovanovitch, who in each case has been driving toward the appropriate Ukraine policy." Asked specifically if he has confidence in Taylor, Pompeo instead praised the department in general, saying,"The State Department is doing a fantastic job. I think we've delivered in a way that the Obama administration has not delivered on Ukraine. I think the Ukrainian people -- and if you listen to their leadership -- I think they think the same."
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