House committee chairs warn Pompeo that stonewalling could be used as evidence of obstruction

The chairmen of three committees leading the House’s impeachment inquiry warned Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday that preventing witnesses from speaking with Congress could be interpreted as evidence of obstruction.

Earlier Tuesday, Pompeo indicated five current and former State Department officials would not show up for depositions scheduled by House Democrats in connection with their investigation, citing insufficient time for them to prepare and questioning lawmakers’ authority to compel the appearances.

{mosads}House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) and Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) accused Pompeo of trying to intimidate witnesses and warned that it could be interpreted as attempting to withhold critical information from Congress as it tries to confirm the details of a whistleblower complaint about President Trump trying to pressure the Ukrainian government to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.

“Any effort to intimidate witnesses or prevent them from talking with Congress — including State Department employees — is illegal and will constitute evidence of obstruction of the impeachment inquiry. In response, Congress may infer from this obstruction that any withheld documents and testimony would reveal information that corroborates the whistleblower complaint,” Schiff, Engel and Cummings said in a joint statement.

The three chairmen also cited recent news reports that Pompeo was on the July 25 call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which the president brought up investigating Biden and his son’s business dealings in Ukraine.

“Secretary Pompeo was reportedly on the call when the President pressed Ukraine to smear his political opponent. If true, Secretary Pompeo is now a fact witness in the House impeachment inquiry. He should immediately cease intimidating Department witnesses in order to protect himself and the president,” Schiff, Engel and Cummings wrote.

“We’re committed to protecting witnesses from harassment and intimidation, and we expect their full compliance and that of the Department of State,” they added.

Pompeo said in his letter that the State Department “will be in further contact as we obtain further clarity on these matters” but said the requested dates for depositions with State Department officials “are not feasible.”

“I’m concerned with aspects of your request that can be understood only as an attempt to intimidate, bully and treat improperly the distinguished professionals of the Department of State, including several career Foreign Service Officers,” Pompeo wrote in a letter to Engel.

“Let me be clear: I will not tolerate such tactics, and I will use all means at my disposal to prevent and expose any attempts to intimidate the dedicated professionals whom I am proud to lead and serve alongside at the Department of State,” Pompeo wrote.