Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday pushed back against a request by a key House committee to interview five current or former State Department officials as part of an impeachment inquiry centering on the Ukraine scandal, accusing House Democrats of attempting to “intimidate” and “bully” them.
“I am 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, whom the committee is now targeting,” Pompeo wrote in a letter to House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y.
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“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.
Pompeo’s letter was in response to a request by Engel and other key chairmen to depose the current or ex-State Department officials about the Ukraine scandal engulfing the Trump administration. House Democrats have seized upon the scandal to launch the formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
The secretary of state appeared to dare Engel to issue subpoenas for the appearance of the five officials, writing that “the committee has not issued any subpoenas for depositions and we are not aware of any other authority by which the committee could compel appearance at a deposition.”
He also took issue with the “woefully inadequate opportunity” that Engel and committee members had given “the Department and the requested witnesses” to prepare for an interview.
Pompeo claimed the officials would need more time to retain and consult with private counsel and said the State Department “must consult” with them and their lawyers “regarding the Department’s legitimate interests in safeguarding potentially privileged and classified information.”
House Democrats had scheduled the five depositions over this week and next. The witnesses they’re seeking to interview include the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, who was abruptly ousted from her post in May, and the former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine, Kurt Volker, who resigned last week.
In his response, Pompeo wrote, “Given the serious substantive and procedural deficiencies in the Committee’s requests … the Committee’s assertion lacks any recognized legal basis.”
Citing the Democrats’ warning in the letter that said the failure of the officials to appear for depositions would “constitute evidence of obstruction,” Pompeo disputed any legal backing for the threat and added, “I urge you to exercise restraint in making such unfounded statements in the future.”
“The Committee’s requested dates for depositions are not feasible,” he wrote. “The Department will be in further contact with the Committee in the near future as we obtain further clarity on these matters.”
Pompeo, meanwhile, faces Friday deadline to turn over documents related to Trump’s July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that were subpoenaed by Engel and two other top House Democratic chairmen.
NBC News confirmed Monday that Pompeo was on that phone call.
In his letter Tuesday, Pompeo acknowledged “receipt of the subpoena” and said the State Department “intends to respond to that subpoena by the noticed return date of October 4, 2019.”
Last Friday, Engel, as well as House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif, and House Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., wrote a letter demanding that Pompeo turn over documents related to the July 25 call.
The subpoena, which was issued by the Foreign Affairs Committee in consultation with the other two panels, is the first since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi launched the formal impeachment inquiry last week.
