‘You did a good job on her’: Trump praises Pompeo after he is accused of bullying female journalist
Reporter says Mike Pompeo launched into expletive-filled tirade at her
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump has applauded Mike Pompeo after the secretary of state was accused of bullying a prominent female journalist.
The US president’s comments, which garnered laughter and some claps from the audience, were made while he announced the administration’s plans for peace in the Middle East.
Mr Trump made the remarks after praising Mr Pompeo, who gained a standing ovation from those attending the event.
The president said: “Whoa. That was very impressive, Mike. That reporter couldn’t have done too good a job on you yesterday.
“I think you did a good job on her actually.”
The remarks come after Mary Louise Kelly, a well-known broadcaster who hosts All Things Considered on National Public Radio (NPR), said Mr Pompeo had launched into an expletive-filled tirade at her in his private living room in the state department.
Ms Kelly alleges Mr Pompeo yelled and swore after she used an interview to press him about his involvement in the Ukraine scandal at the core of the impeachment investigation of Mr Trump.
Mr Pompeo is reported to have then requested aides to get a blank map before asking Ms Kelly, who has a master’s degree in European Studies from Cambridge, to locate Ukraine.
The reporter, who is also a crime fiction writer, said she was able to situate Ukraine on the map.
Mr Pompeo released a statement on Saturday which accused Ms Kelly of breaking “the basic rules of journalism and decency” and claimed the reporter said the post-interview conversation would be off the record. The White House official also claimed Ms Kelly had gestured to Bangladesh rather than Ukraine.
But Ms Kelly insisted her meeting with Mr Pompeo after carrying out the recorded interview had not been decided to be off the record.
Emails exchanged prior to the interview which were cited by the Washington Post reveal Ms Kelly openly set out the fact Ukraine would be discussed.
On Monday, Michele Kelemen, a prominent NPR reporter who is the non-profit media outlet’s diplomatic correspondent, was blocked from travelling with Mr Pompeo and other journalists to Eastern Europe despite having previously been allowed to accompany him.
Mr Trump waded into the row over the weekend and lent his support to remarks which branded the prestigious independent station, which garners 120 million monthly listeners, a “big-government, Democrat party propaganda operation” and asked: “Why does NPR still exist?”
The president argued this was “a very good question!”.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments