ON WITH THE FOCUS OFF THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL OVER THE LAST
WEEK OR SO.
>> GARRETT HAAKE LIVE HERE IN
WASHINGTON, THANK YOU.
WE WANT TO GET TO SOME BREAKING
NEWS JUST IN.
AND IT IS A LETTER FROM
SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO
TO HOUSE DEMOCRATS.
HANS NICHOLS IS WITH US.
BEFORE WE GET TO YOU, I WANT TO
EXPLAIN TO FOLKS WHAT THIS
LETTER IS.
LETTER IS. IT IS JUST IN.
THE SECRETARY OF STATE, WE SAW
HIM AT THE TOP OF THE SHOW YAEFR
ASSESS, TWEETING THIS.
AND THIS IS SPECIFICALLY
ADDRESSED TO THE COMMITTEE ON
FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS. REMEMBER THAT TOMORROW AND
THURSDAY ARE THE FIRST OF FIVE
DEPOSITIONS THAT HAVE BEEN
SCHEDULED WITH EITHER CURRENT OR
FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT
OFFICIALS WHO MAY BE ABLE TO
PROVIDE CONGRESS WITH MORE
INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT WAS IN
THE WHISTLE-BLOWER COMPLAINT.
LISTEN TO THIS.
HERE’S WHAT THE SECRETARY OF
STATE SAYS, THAT HE IS CONCERNED
WITH ASPECTS OF THIS REQUEST
THAT CAN BE UNDERSTOOD, QUOTE,
ONLY AS AN ATTEMPT TO
INTIMIDATE, BULLY AND TREAT
IMPROPERLY THE DISTINGUISHED
PROFESSIONALS OF THE DEPARTMENT
OF STATE, ALLEGING THAT THE
COMMITTEE IS NOW TARGETING THOSE
INDIVIDUALS.
INDIVIDUALS. HANS, THIS LETTER CAN ONLY BE
READ IT SEEMS TO ME ONE WAY, AND
THAT IS THAT MIKE POMPEO SURE
ISN’T HAPPY WITH MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS RIGHT NOW.
>> HE’S STRONGLY SIGNALING THAT
THE STATE DEPARTMENT WILL NOT
COOPERATE WITH THOSE
CONGRESSIONAL SUBPOENAS, AS WELL
AS DEPOSITION REQUESTS THAT THEY
MADE ON SEPTEMBER THE 27th.
HE’S DIRECTLY ADDRESSING
MR. ENGEL, WHO IS THE CHAIR OF
THE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE
ON THE HOUSE SIDE AND HE’S
SAYING HE’S CONCERNED ABOUT THE
OVERALL THREATENING AND
INTIMIDATING APPROACH THAT HE
FEELS THE COMMITTEE HAS TAKEN.
HERE’S WHAT HE’S NOT DOING IN
THE LETTER, HE’S NOT VOWING NOT
TO COOPERATE.
TO COOPERATE. HE’S NOT SAYING THAT HE’S --
>> BUT THE DATES FOR DEPOSITIONS
ARE NOT FEASIBLE, THAT THESE
PEOPLE ARE NOT BEING DEPOSED ON
THE DATES THE COMMITTEE WANTS.
>> THEY WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE
THEN.
THEN. I DON’T READ THIS AS A BLANKET I
WILL NOT COOPERATE.
I READ THIS AS A STRONG SIGNAL
THAT THEY’RE GOING TO SLOW-WALK
IN.
IN. AND WE HAVE TO FIND OUT IF
THEY’RE ULTIMATELY AVAILABLE AND
AMENABLE TO OTHER DATES.
BUT IT’S A STRONG INDICATION,
REGARDLESS ON WHETHER OR NOT
HE’S FULLY PUTTING IT DOWN THAT
THEY ARE VERY UNLIKELY TO
COOPERATE WITH ONE OF THE
COMMITTEES THAT’S PART OF THE
OVERALL IMPEACHMENT
OVERALL IMPEACHMENT INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. THE IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY.
REMEMBER, THERE ARE THREE
COMMITTEES THAT ARE ALL COMING
AT THIS.
AT THIS. MIKE POMPEO ABROAD USING TWITTER
TO LET THE HOUSE DEMOCRATS KNOW
THAT HE IS UNLIKELY TO
COOPERATE.
COOPERATE. SO WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO FIND
OUT MORE ON WHAT THE OVERALL
STRATEGY IS, HALLIE.
>> PART OF WHAT THEY SEEM TO BE
UPSET ABOUT, LOOKING THROUGH
THIS LETTER WITH YOU HERE, IS
THE VAST AMOUNT OF DOCUMENTS TO
QUOTE FROM MIKE POMPEO, THAT WAS
REQUESTED FROM THESE VARIOUS
OFFICIALS.
OFFICIALS. AND JUST TO REMIND PEOPLE, THESE
PEOPLE ARE STATE DEPARTMENT
EMPLOYEES.
EMPLOYEES. IN ONE INSTANCE CURT VOLKER, THE
FORMER SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE
FOR UKRAINE NEGOTIATIONS WHO
STEPPED DOWN ACCORDING TO TWO
SOURCES ONLY LAST WEEK, LAST
FRIDAY.
FRIDAY. ONE SOURCE SAYING THAT WILL LET
HIM BE MORE FREE IN WHAT HE CAN
AND CANNOT SAY TO CONGRESS.
BUT THIS LETTER LAYS OUT SORT OF
THE LEGAL REASONS, IT SEEMS, OR
AT LEAST THE POLITICAL REASONS
WHY THE SECRETARY OF STATE IS
SAYING THESE DEPOSITIONS AREN’T
HAPPENING WHEN YOU WANT.
>> AND THERE SEEMS TO BE A
LITTLE BIT MORE HERE AS WELL,
THAT HE’S CONCERNED WITH SOME OF
THE COMMUNICATIONS THAT CONGRESS
IS TRYING TO HAVE WITH THE STATE
DEPARTMENT THROUGH OTHER
CHANNELS.
CHANNELS. THEY SAY THAT COMMITTEE STAFF
HAVE CONTACTED MEMBERS IN THE
ADMINISTRATION, STATE DEPARTMENT
OFFICIALS, LOOKING FOR MORE
INFORMATION.
INFORMATION. IT SEEMS TO ME LIKE HE’S
CLAMPING DOWN AND IS VERY
UNLIKELY TO COOPERATE.
AND REMEMBER, POMPEO NOW IS AT
THE CENTER OF THIS AS WELL
BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT MIKE POMPEO
WAS ON THAT JULY 25th PHONE
CALL, THE ONE THAT WE HAVE THE
CALL LOGS FROM WHERE THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
HAS THAT CONVERSATION WITH THE
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT.
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT. THAT IS AT THE CENTER OF ALL OF
THIS.
THIS. THE DEPOSITIONS THAT THE HOUSE
DEMOCRATS WANT TO GET, THEY WANT
TO TRY TO FILL IN SOME OF THE
GRAY AREAS ON WHAT THAT CALL WAS
ABOUT, MAYBE IT WAS ON THE BACK
END OF IT AS WELL.
AND CRUCIALLY, WHAT HAPPENED
WITH THAT CALL CALL LOG AND
WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS TREATED IN
ANY OTHER WAY.
BECAUSE THAT’S AT THE CORE OF
WHAT THE WHISTLE-BLOWER IS
ALLEGING, IS THAT THIS WAS
SOMEHOW PUT IN A SEPARATE
POSITION, IN A SEPARATE SECURE