Pompeo tells Kazakh reporter that barring NPR reporter sent 'a perfect message about press freedoms'
Category: News & Politics
Via: tessylo • 4 years ago • 47 commentsBy: Peter Weber, The Week
Politics
Pompeo tells Kazakh reporter that barring NPR reporter sent 'a perfect message about press freedoms'
After the State Department revoked the press credentials of NPR's Michele Keleman for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's trip to Europe and Central Asia, in apparent retaliation for questions Pompeo didn't like from NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly, there were concerns about what kind of message Pompeo sent to the world about America's commitment to press freedoms. On Sunday, when Pompeo was in Kazakhstan — which has a dismal zero press-freedoms rating from Reporters Without Borders — Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reporter Aigerim Toleukhan asked Pompeo. He said the episode sends "a perfect message about press freedoms."
Pompeo can be heard telling Kelly in their interview that he only wanted to discuss Iran, not Ukraine and whether he stood up for America's former ambassador to Kyiv when President Trump and his allies smeared her. Kelly said after the interview, Pompeo took her into a separate room and berated her at length , using profanities.
Pompeo told Toleukhan he didn't have a "confrontational interview" with Kelly and insisted that reporters "get to ask me any questions, all questions." As for barring Keleman from his trip, Pompeo said he always brings "a big press contingent, but we ask for certain sets of behaviors, and that's simply telling the truth and being honest. And when they'll do that, they get to participate, and if they don't, it's just not appropriate" or even "fair to the rest of the journalists who are participating alongside them." That's when Toleukhan asked about what message that sends to the world, and Pompeo said "a perfect message."
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You may only ask softball questions, like Faux 'News', of this gang of complicit gangsters, thugs, grifters, mobsters, and thieves.
This fat ass is as crooked as donald.
Why is it that all the people around the d act like they are in the mafia.
Yup, the whole administration is complicit. Bunch of mobsters and thugs.
What a pompous prick. He fits right in with his dear leader. Acting just like him. Lies straight to the world.
Notice now that the trump behavior is now used by others. That was my worse fear. Now people at the top think they can lie, be shitty to people, berate people when they don't like a question.
This should not be allowed to continue.
Four more years!
I'd never give a reporter who broke an agreement another interview. It's that simple.
And you believe him when he has no proof and she has emails.
Yup!
and she has emails.
E-mails proving what?
Of course his supporters believe every drop of shit that falls out of their big fat pig leaders' mouth and the whole complicit administration of gansters, thugs, grifters, and thieves.
What she said she was going to talk about, proving it was not going to be an off the record interview.
I shouldn't be surprised by the response when you believe everything little don says.
Hell, I had one the other day saying they wouldn't sit back and threatening violence. Then said the threat of violence was a promise.
Just like Pompeo could send someone an e-mail saying that he had an agreement. What would it prove?
BTW, how about showing us the e-mail?
Emails do have timestamps. Pompous is not even claiming to have sent any.
Again, it would prove that she sent questions in preparation for the interview.
Funny that some demand proof yet any proof against donald they cheer for being blocked and hidden.
It is a sad day when we have people that cheer on the press being pushed out. Is this a point or legacy you can be proud of?
Hell, Susan Rice wrote a memo for a Jan 5, 2017 meeting then president Obama had with his intelligence officials supposedly telling them "to do everything by the book" in the "Russia" investigation.
The problem is she wrote the memo on Trump's inauguration day, as a self serving afterthought!
So what? If you know you are making a fake agreement to set somebody up, it would make sense to set up a defense to be used as you are right now.
Which means absolutely nothing.
So one side is promising, threatening violence and the response is a memo from the other side saying to play by the rules...
It means you choose to ignore the obvious. That was obviously to spare Obama from the truth which was inevitably going to come out! We are to believe Obama told Comey to play by the rules on the way out the door after 8 years as president!
So even if she did produce the emails, showing that she was preparing for the interview you would still actually call it a set up. With zero proof of any innocence you will be willing to jump on a bandwagon and kick the press to the curb.
Amazing that some so blindly believe everything the administration tells them.
That's the gop/republicon way, play dirty, below the belt, nasty.
Do As I Say, Not As I Do.
So your answer to what the current administration is doing is to point to the last...
Like that somehow makes it all ok.
You do know that sounds like a kid that wants to smoke just because they heard Johnny had done it.
If she hasn't produced them, why are you invoking them as proof?
It's all a set up Ender.
Anything to do with this 'president' is a set up, a scheme, a hoax, a coup, fake news.
No answer, huh?
And no answer from you either!
You brought up an example of using e-mails as proof and I countered with one. I thought we were talking about a reporter?
So she says she has emails and you think she is lying. Don't you think it would be stupid for a reporter to lie about something like that? Something easily verifiable?
Again you would rather attack the press and believe whatever the administrations says.
This is not fox news or msnbc we are talking about here. It is NPR.
You still have not once commented on the fact that a news organization was bared from his trip.
You countered with nothing except alluding to her lying.
She got what she wanted. I'd say it was mission accomplished!
Something easily verifiable?
It is not! It comes down to another which one do you believe.
Again you would rather attack the press
They have earned it, don't you think? Three years of a Russia hoax. A humongous lie and don't think they didn't convince a few people by repeating that lie over and over. They've poisoned the well.
You still have not once commented on the fact that a news organization was bared from his trip.
All my comments are based on your beliefs in what the reporter claims. That has been the entirety of my discussion here.
I don't answer to you.
Got what she wanted? Like she wanted to be berated by that fat ass.
How is showing emails, that would show preparation for an interview vs the one being interviewed all the sudden saying it was supposed to be all off the record, even entirely the same?
If it was going to be off the record she would have not sent him questions that were going to be asked.
All your comments are meant to do is try to discredit the reporter in order to justify his actions.
Stop listening to fox news. Do you ever wonder why they want you to believe all press lies except them? Why they constantly call every other outlet fake news?
Propaganda pure and simple.
[ As per the CoC, please stop using so much foul language. Thank you. ]
You really need to talk to some other posters as well Perrie. Some folks, every other word out of their mouth is 'foul language'
To you Trump-Pence 2020 and MAGA and under God is foul language
Yep, we all know deep down crooked donnie and his crooked administration would like nothing better than "STATE RUN MEDIA" so their lies, half truths and all around bs wouldn't be aired.
What we're learning is they don't need state run media because their supporters already ignore the lies that others have aptly proven.
This faction of voters are something I never expected from Americans. It's stunning how they've embraced the worst in human behavior and made it their mantra.
Same here.
I had no idea how many people are anti-American until now. Our founding fathers are turning in their graves.
What worst of human behaviors have you seen from your fellow Americans who are Christian and conservative and are supporters of our elected President?
We saw the grave turning of the founders due to anti Americans in power voted in by anti Americans in 2008 and 2012. Then Americans took our country back in 2016
Nope, Crooked donnie is anti american and the WORST PRESIDENT of all time
No, President Obama was the best president in many people's lifetime and tRump will go down as the WORST
What a vile thing to say about your fellow citizens. How dare you run down others' patriotism simply because their political preferences are different from yours. Pure McCarthyism. It's ludicrous and divisive and has no place in our nation's political discourse.
Shameful, save it for your white robe rallies.
Yeah....no. But thanks for the laugh. Obama the best.
They did it for 1 reporter. NPR has hundreds of reporters. They can send somebody else.
So freedom of the press only applies to the questions tRumps toadies want to answer?
It's not interfering with freedom of press, only one was banned. As I stated, they banned ONE reporter. NPR has HUNDREDS more. I'm sure even a Democrat can understand that if one can't make it, you send somebody else. What about that is so hard for you to understand?