Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday held a press call for “faith-based media” that excluded regular members of the press corps, and the department said it won’t share a transcript of the call or a list of attendees.
Pompeo used the call to discuss “international religious freedom” ahead of his Middle East trip, CNN reported.
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Officials also declined to answer questions about which faiths were included in the call.
One member from the State Department press corps was invited, but then disinvited after reserving a spot on the call. CNN said it asked organizers that it be included but never received a response.
“Department press briefings, teleconferences on a myriad of policy issues, briefings and sprays by the Secretary of State and other officials — are open to any interested domestic or international press,” a State Department spokesperson told CNN.
“Other engagements are more targeted or designed for topic, region, or audience-specific media. This has always been the case,” the spokesman said.
