A National Public Radio (NPR) reporter has been removed from the press pool for Mike Pompeo’s upcoming foreign trip, days after the US secretary of state gave an angry interview to another NPR journalist.
NPR reporter Michele Kelemen was meant to be part of the travelling pool of correspondents with Mr Pompeo on his planned trip to the UK, Ukraine, Belarus, and Central Asia.
Her removal was seen as retaliation for her colleague Marie Louise Kelly’s interview with him on Friday, said the State Department Correspondents’ Association (SDCA).
“The State Department press corps has a long tradition of accompanying secretaries of state on their travels and we find it unacceptable to punish an individual member of our association,” said Shaun Tandon, head of SDCA.
Ms Kelly asked Mr Pompeo abut Ukraine and ousted US ambassador Marie Yovanovitch during the tense nine-minute exchange, to which he unleashed an expletive-ridden rant.
Following the interview, Ms Kelly said he “glared” at her for several seconds before leaving the interview room. She was then asked to join him in his private living room without a recorder, where he proceeded to shout and curse at her.
He said: “Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?”
On Saturday, Mr Pompeo released a statement accusing the NPR reporter of lying to him “in setting up our interview” and “in agreeing to have our post-interview conversation off the record”.
Ms Kelly said she was not informed the exchange following the interview was to be off the record.
Mr Pompeo added: “This is another example of how unhinged the media has become in its quest to hurt President Trump and this Administration.
“It is no wonder that the American people distrust many in the media when they so consistently demonstrate their agenda and their absence of integrity.”
NPR confirmed Ms Kelemen’s removal from the press pool on Monday and said in a statement: “We respectfully ask the State Department to reconsider and allow Michele to travel on the plane for this trip.”
Additional reporting by agencies
