The State Department blocked an NPR reporter from flying with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on his upcoming trip to Europe and Central Asia.
The State Department Correspondents’ Association announced the department’s decision in a statement on Monday and protested the move, asking Pompeo to reconsider allowing NPR correspondent Michele Kelemen to make the flight this week.
Recommended Stories
“Michele is a consummate professional who has covered the State Department for nearly two decades,” SDCA President Shaun Tandon said in a statement. “We respectfully ask the State Department to reconsider and allow Michele to travel on the plane for this trip.”
The group accused Pompeo of “retaliating” against NPR after another of the outlet’s reporters, Mary Louise Kelly, was publicly slammed by Pompeo after allegedly breaking an agreement.
Kelly interviewed Pompeo last week about his knowledge of President Trump’s agenda in Ukraine as Trump is being tried in the Senate on impeachment charges connected to his actions toward the country. After the interview, Pompeo berated Kelly in his office for breaking an agreement that Ukraine would not be covered in the interview. The State Department also released a public statement slamming NPR and Kelly.
Kelly and NPR denied Pompeo’s claims and said that he knew ahead of time that she would ask about Ukraine, claiming to have a string of emails that back up the assertion.
“The removal of Michele, who was in rotation as the radio pool reporter, comes days after Secretary Pompeo harshly criticized the work of an NPR host,” Tandon continued. “We can only conclude that the State Department is retaliating against National Public Radio as a result of this exchange.”
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.
