Menendez calls for watchdog to probe Pompeo role in documents dismissed as ‘propaganda’ by Democrats

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) is requesting that the State Department’s internal watchdog investigate how Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other top officials handled a controversial packet of documents that was turned over to Congress this week amid the growing scandal over President Trump’s interactions with Ukraine.

Menendez, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter on Thursday to Steve Linick, the State Department inspector general, asking that he probe how department officials handled the documents, which were blasted by Democrats as a “packet of propaganda.” 

{mosads}”It appears that Secretary Pompeo may have inappropriately and unlawfully leveraged State Department resources — paid for by U.S. taxpayers — to cause an investigation solely designed to advance President Trump’s personal and political agenda,” Menendez wrote in the letter. 

“Such behavior is squarely within your jurisdiction, and must be investigated in a thorough and expedited fashion,” Menendez continued.

Linick handed over the packet of documents to congressional staff, and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), on Wednesday, as part of a hastily assembled briefing in response to an “urgent” request from the inspector general’s office. 

Democrats, though in the dark about what they were going to be briefed on, expected it to be significant since it comes amid an impeachment inquiry sparked by Trump’s suggestion that the Ukrainian government investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. 

Instead, attendees were given a packet of “conspiracy theories,” related to Biden, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch and CrowdStrike, the cybersecurity firm that investigated breaches at the Democratic National Committee in the lead up to the 2016 election.

Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney, told CNN after the briefing that part of the documents including allegations against Biden originated with him, and that Pompeo told him they would be investigated by the State Department.

“Given Mr. Giuliani’s admissions and the apparent relationship between Giuliani’s efforts in relation to these documents and the broader Trump-Ukraine scandal, it is imperative that you determine the precise roles of Secretary Pompeo and Counselor Brechbuhl,” Menendez added in his letter, referring to Thomas Ulrich Brechbuhl, Pompeo’s counselor. 

As part of an investigation, Menendez is asking the State IG to look into where Pompeo or his office got the documents from, and if they received guidance from the White House about what it or Trump thought should be done with them.

Menendez also wants to know what instructions Pompeo gave to State Department employees about the paperwork, if Brechbuhl requested steps be taken and what other officials reviewed the documents.

He also wants to know if Pompeo or anyone else in the department conducted an investigation in relation to the documents, and if State resources were used to investigate a political opponent of the president. 

Attendees of the Wednesday briefing said Linick did not know who was responsible for the documents or who sent them to the State Department. The documents were placed inside folders labeled Trump Hotel. Those folders were then placed in an envelope labeled White House and sent to the State Department in March. 

Giuliani told CNN that he “routed” the documents to Pompeo’s office. He told NBC News on Thursday that he personally gave the documents to the secretary.

A State Department spokesperson told NBC News that the department gave the material to the inspector general on May 3 “for his review and for such action as the Inspector General deemed appropriate.”