Pompeo says Trump administration will not tolerate Russia inteference in mid-term polls
US SECRETARY of State Mike Pompeo has said the Trump administration will not tolerate Russian interference in the 2018 congressional mid-term elections.
Mr Pompeo told the House foreign affairs committee that the administration will take “appropriate countermeasures” to fight what he called “continued efforts” by Russia to meddle in November’s vote.
He did not elaborate on the Russian interference or say what the countermeasures would be but said there was much more work to be done to stop Russia’s efforts.
Mr Pompeo said the US had not yet been able to establish “effective deterrence” to halt them.
The top-ranking Democrat on the committee, Eliot Engel, however, contended that the Trump administration “is giving Russia a pass” because Russian President Vladimir Putin had “supported President Trump over Hillary Clinton” in the 2016 presidential election.
“If we allow foreign interference in our elections so long as it supports our political objectives, then we’ve put party before country and put our democracy in crisis,” Mr Engel said.
Russian meddling in the presidential election remains a touchy topic for President Donald Trump, as the White House tries to combat the threat posed by special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation into potential ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.
Mr Trump denies there was any collusion.
Mr Pompeo was making his first congressional appearance since becoming the US’s top diplomat a month ago, after Mr Trump fired his predecessor Rex Tillerson.
He was testifying on the State Department’s budget, operations and policy priorities, but was asked about issues, ranging from the pullout from the Iran nuclear deal and Russia.