Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s testimony before a House committee turned acrimonious almost as soon as it began, as Democratic lawmakers fumed about the brevity of his appearance in a manner that Republicans denounced as “bullying.”
“I apologize, this hearing has been a joke,” Rep. Lee Zeldin, a New York Republican, told Pompeo during the hearing. “You’re getting asked a lot of questions that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are choosing either to answer the question for you, if you don’t answer in the first split second of them finishing with a question mark, or, if you attempt to answer, they cut you off to reclaim their time … It’s an embarrassment.”
That comment drew an immediate rebuttal. “What’s really an embarrassment is that we couldn’t get more than two hours from the secretary of state,” House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel, a New York Democrat, said. “That’s really an embarrassment to this committee.”
The exchange was mild-mannered compared to the clashes that took place earlier in the committee. Pompeo agreed to testify about President Trump’s policies toward Iran and Iraq in the wake of the decision to kill Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. In the event, the hearing descended into a forum for Democratic lawmakers to vent about the delay in scheduling the hearing.
“I can’t help but think of those days when you were on this side of the dais. I can remember vividly you thundering away at Secretary Clinton during the Benghazi hearing,” Rep. Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat, said early in the hearing. “She showed up voluntarily, sat there for 11 hours, but, with you, sir, we had to move heaven and Earth to get you here today for just two hours. To me, that shows disregard for the oversight responsibilities of the U.S. Congress.”
Meeks, who similarly praised Clinton and attacked Pompeo over the Benghazi investigation during Pompeo’s first appearance before the committee in 2018, proceeded to lash the Trump administration for a series of Iran-related policy decisions, including the Soleimani strike.
“It backfired in completely foreseeable ways,” he said. “Now, I had many other things I would have loved to ask you, but I have to give up some of my time because you’re only here for two hours. I can’t use my whole five minutes because my colleagues would like to have something to say.”
Meeks, who concluded without asking any questions, passed the baton to Rep. Brad Sherman.
“Mr. Secretary, it’s taken you two and a half months to come here before this committee to explain the actions of Jan. 3,” the Californian Democrat began. “Today, the world faces a worldwide pandemic — the coronavirus. Will you come here next week and explain our international efforts to deal with the coronavirus, or will it take us two and a half months to have you back here?”
Pompeo responded by saying his team had “briefed Congress over 70 times on Iran,” but Sherman directed him back to the question of the coronavirus briefing.
“I’m happy to work with you to find a time that works with everyone’s schedule to talk about this,” Pompeo said. “But Congressman Sherman —“
“Reclaiming my time,” Sherman interrupted.
“I can’t let go —“ Pompeo said.
That drew a loud rebuke from Sherman. “Sir, you limit us to two hours. Secretary Clinton spent 11 hours,” he said. “We must adhere to the rules of this committee, just as you enforced them when you were sitting in this room.”
Sherman went on to press Pompeo for a “yes or no” answer about whether he would apologize for the president’s comments downplaying the brain injuries sustained by U.S. troops at the bases that Iran targeted when retaliating over the Soleimani strike.
The frequency with which Pompeo faced abrupt “yes or no” questions eventually spurred Republicans to criticisms of their Democratic colleagues.
“This is exhausting,” Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican, said when his turn came. “I mean, this multimedia dog and pony show that’s being put on … being upset and feigning anger so that you can go get a TV hit tonight on a cable station.”
Zeldin said Democratic lawmakers made a tactical error. “Some of you wouldn’t let him answer AT ALL this AM,” he tweeted after the hearing. “Such a bizarrely wasted opportunity.”
