Pompeo deflects criticism of Yovanovitch's ouster
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday offered a defense of former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch's ouster, stating she was not removed for a “nefarious purpose.”
"It is worth noting that Ambassador Yovanovitch's departure preceded the arrival of Bill Taylor,” he said in a news conference. “So there are some ideas out there that somehow this change was designed to enable some nefarious purpose.”
“You should just look at the simple fact that it was Bill Taylor that replaced Ambassador Yovanovitch, who in each case has been driving towards the appropriate Ukraine policy, which I am happy to talk about,” Pompeo continued, deflecting further questions about the ongoing impeachment hearings in the House.
Yovanovitch appeared before investigators Friday to publicly testify in the House impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump, stating she was abandoned by the State Department who refused to defend her amid a “smear campaign” by the president's allies.
In her testimony, Yovanovitch told investigators there was a concern within the State Department that any statement supporting her would be undermined by a “contradicting” tweet from Trump. While she was testifying, Trump criticized her on Twitter: “Everywhere Marie Yovanovitch went turned bad.”
When pressed Monday on whether he would defend State Department employees, Pompeo responded, "I always defend State Department employees,” but declined to offer further explanation.
Pompeo previously downplayed reports of low morale at the State Department that have been exacerbated by the House impeachment investigation.
“It’s a big organization,” he said Wednesday. “I’m sure there’s lots of different thoughts. But suffice it to say, the American people should be comfortable knowing that we are continuing to do the hard work to deliver good policy outcomes for President Trump and the United States.”
