Impeachment Inquiry Causes Rift Between Trump, Pompeo - Reports

The impeachment inquiry has created tensions between US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is considered to be one of the president's closest allies, local media reported on Monday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th November, 2019) The impeachment inquiry has created tensions between US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is considered to be one of the president's closest allies, local media reported on Monday.

Trump in private meetings has blamed Pompeo for hiring State Department officials who revealed potentially damaging details when grilled at the impeachment hearings in Congress, NBC news reported, citing four unidentified current and former senior administration officials.

The report claimed that the president was particularly displeased with acting US Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor's testimony on the alleged White House effort to pressure Kiev into investigating one of Trump's potential rivals in the 2020 election, former Vice President Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter.

The report noted that the apparent crack in relations between Trump and Pompeo is striking because the secretary is widely viewed as the "Trump whisperer" who has survived multiple ousters of senior administration officials.

In September, US House Democrats launched an impeachment inquiry into a whistleblower complaint that said Trump might have abused the power of office. The complaint alleged Trump pressured Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a July 25 phone call to investigate possible corruption of former Vice President Joe Biden - Trump's political rival in the 2020 election - and his son Hunter Biden.

Trump released a transcript of the telephone call with Zelenskyy and denied any wrongdoing in his dealings with Ukraine. Trump has characterized the impeachment inquiry as yet another political witch hunt by Democrats aimed at reversing the result of the 2016 presidential election.