NPR is demanding answers for why one of its correspondents was told she was no longer permitted to travel with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after one of her colleagues upset the top U.S. diplomat by questioning him about Ukraine.
In a letter to Pompeo on Tuesday, NPR executives asked the secretary of state to explain the removal and reverse the decision.
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“If we do not receive a satisfactory response from you justifying this decision before tomorrow, when the trip is scheduled to depart, we, like the [State Department Correspondents’ Association] will have no choice but to conclude that Ms. Kelemen was removed from the trip in retaliation for the content of NPR’s reporting,” NPR president John Lansing and editorial director Nancy Barnes wrote.
The State Department on Sunday told diplomatic correspondent Michele Kelemen she would not be allowed to travel to Ukraine, Britain, and Central Asia with Pompeo, despite being the designated radio pool reporter. The State Department did not provide any explanation for nixing her from the trip, according to NPR.
Kelemen’s removal came after Pompeo berated NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly after she asked him questions about Ukraine and whether he supports his diplomats, in reference to the ouster of former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. Pompeo asked Kelly if she could identify Ukraine on an unmarked map and allegedly told her people in the United States do not care about the country.
NPR said Kelemen had turned in all necessary paperwork for the overseas trip to the State Department and received an email on Friday from the department about hotels for the trip. Hours later, Kelly described her interaction with Pompeo, prompting the secretary of state to issue a statement calling her a liar. On Sunday, Kelemen was told she had been removed from the trip.
The State Department Correspondents’ Association revealed the decision in a statement on Monday and protested the move.
“Michele is a consummate professional who has covered the State Department for nearly two decades,” 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.”
Trump commended Pompeo for his actions toward Kelly during a White House event Tuesday.
“That reporter couldn’t have done too good a job on you yesterday,” Trump said. “I think you did a good job on her, actually. That’s good, thank you, Mike.”
