x
Breaking News
More () »

Pompeo talks policy, not impeachment, at U of L speech

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo addressed the McConnell Scholars at the University of Louisville.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — He's the point-person on U.S. foreign policy, a key figure in the Trump impeachment hearings and twice lived at Fort Knox. Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was at the University of Louisville to address McConnell Scholars.

Inside the University Club, questions for Secretary Pompeo came only from Leader McConnell. None of those questions focused on the impeachment hearings or questions about any role the Secretary of State may have played in connecting Rudy Giuliani to officials in Ukraine.

Secretary Pompeo became the seventh U.S. Secretary of State to address McConnell Scholars at UofL.

On his way out of the University Club, he turned and looked but did not respond to my request to answer questions.

Inside, the questions focused on foreign policy such as dealing with Iran, China and Venezuela.

The closest he came to broaching any subject remotely connected to the impeachment was when Secretary Pompeo mentioned the challenges of NATO.

“It was created to fight the Soviet Union,” he said, “and to be a security alliance to oppose the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union is no more, Russia remains. But the nature of the threat from Russia has changed too. There's now an enormous cyber component to the threat from Russia. We need to make sure that NATO is prepared to confront that challenge.”

He left the University of Louisville to board a direct flight for NATO meetings in London. Authorities had taped off an area across the from the University club for protestors to assemble. None were there before the speech but as Secretary Pompeo left, three stood in the cold holding signs demanding he testify in the impeachment hearings.

RELATED | Pompeo: Impeachment work should pause while Trump is abroad

►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.

 

Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.

Before You Leave, Check This Out