Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Senator Tim Kaine got into a contentious back and forth during Thursday’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing.
It all unfolded while Senator Kaine brought up the firing of former Ambassador of Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.
During his grilling session, Kaine suggested that Yovanovitch was “slandered” and “sacked” from her position “for no good reason.”
“You might think this is silly. You might think these questions are silly,” Sen. Kaine said. “But when someone works their entire career for the State Department and they are slandered with lies and sacked for no good reason, that sends a message that can not be clearer to other State Department officials.”
“And it may be just a big joke. I mean, look at you smiling and laughing and calling it silly,” he added. “I don’t think it’s silly to Marie Yovanovitch or the people who work for you.
Secretary Pompeo fired back.
Related Article: Yovanovitch Claims Trump’s Tweets Are “Very Intimidating” After Schiff Reads Them To Her
“I don’t think it’s silly to the United States Department of State to understand that every ambassador, every political appointee knows that the President of the United States finds that they lack confidence, the President of the United States has the right to terminate them,” Pompeo said. “It’s that easy. [It] includes me.”
“And you should not, I didn’t slander anyone,” he added. “This was handled appropriately and properly, Senator.” Video Below
WATCH:
Sen. Tim. Kaine: "Look at you smiling and laughing and calling it silly. I don't think it's silly for Marie Yovanovitch or the people who work for you."
Sec. Pompeo: "…I didn't slander anyone. This was handled appropriately and properly." pic.twitter.com/JykCto73io
— The Hill (@thehill) July 30, 2020
