Per NRO, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pushed back Tuesday against a House Foreign Affairs Committee subpoena seeking documents and testimony from the State Department as part of the impeachment probe of President Trump, writing on Twitter that “aspects” of the subpoena “can be understood only as an attempt to intimidate, bully, & treat improperly the distinguished professionals of the Department of State.”
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Pompeo tweeted:
I’m concerned with aspects of the Committee’s request that can be understood only as an attempt to intimidate, bully, & treat improperly the distinguished professionals of the Department of State, including several career FSOs.
I’m concerned with aspects of the Committee’s request that can be understood only as an attempt to intimidate, bully, & treat improperly the distinguished professionals of the Department of State, including several career FSOs. pic.twitter.com/QRtMaXlhQM
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) October 1, 2019
TheHill reports Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that five current and former State Department officials would not show up for depositions scheduled by House Democrats in connection with their impeachment inquiry.
Pompeo asserted that the committee’s demand for testimony from five current and former State Department officials beginning this week raised “significant legal and procedural concerns” and questioned the committee’s authority to compel an appearance by officials for a deposition through the letters sent last week, according to a letter that the secretary of State released on his Twitter feed.
“Based on the profound legal and procedural deficiencies … the Committee’s requested dates for depositions are not feasible,” Pompeo wrote, adding that the State Department “will be in further contact with the committee in the near future as we obtain further clarity on these matters.”
The secretary of State also claimed that there is “no legal basis” for the committee’s threat that the failure of the officials to meet their timeline for documents and testimony would constitute obstruction of the impeachment inquiry. And he raised concerns that House Democrats are seeking to “intimidate” State Department officials with a slew of requests on Ukraine and President Trump‘s interactions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“I’m concerned with aspects of your request that can be understood only as an attempt to intimidate, bully and treat improperly the distinguished professionals of the Department of State, including several career Foreign Service Officers,” Pompeo wrote in a letter to Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday.
“Let me be clear: I will not tolerate such tactics, and I will use all means at my disposal to prevent and expose any attempts to intimidate the dedicated professionals whom I am proud to lead and serve alongside at the Department of State,” Pompeo wrote.
This article was written by the staff of TheConservativeOpinion.com