MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace burst out laughing after watching a clip of an interaction between George Stephanopoulos and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Stephanopoulos pressed Pompeo on Sunday to answer whether it would be appropriate to apply a condition on the military aid given to Ukraine, as President Trump is accused of doing.
Pompeo said he wouldn’t respond to hypothetical questions in an awkward back-and-forth that included a long, silent pause from the secretary of state.
Wallace aired that clip, along with a clip of Fox News’ Chris Wallace pressing Mick Mulvaney about his statements on a quid pro quo between Trump and Ukraine, highlighting what she called examples of Trump administration officials “drowning in flop sweat.”
On rewatching the clip from ABC, Wallace laughed loudly.
“I was a communications director for a White House that didn’t get a lot of points for communicating,” said Wallace. “That was the worst appearance by an executive branch official I’ve ever seen in my career.”
Commentator Philip Rucker also mocked the interview, saying, “It also was the longest three-second pause of any answer.”
Wallace, who was communications director under George W. Bush, questioned Pompeo’s motivations.
“When Colin Powell’s aides swung the camera away, I cringed less. I’m not rooting — I got no dog in this. That was unbelievable,” she said, adding, “What’s he hiding?”
Pompeo, who was on the call with Trump and Ukrainian officials, has been a staunch defender of the president’s actions since the whistleblower’s report was released.
