The State Department Correspondents’ Association protested the move, which it saw as retaliation over an exchange with another reporter.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s quarrel with NPR escalated on Monday after one of the radio network’s reporters was barred from flying on the secretary’s plane during an upcoming trip to Ukraine.
Michele Kelemen, a veteran reporter for the network, was removed from the list of reporters allowed to fly with Pompeo on a trip to Eastern Europe, only days after the secretary reportedly exploded at another NPR reporter for asking questions about Ukraine. The State Department Correspondents’ Association swiftly condemned the move in a statement on Monday.
“Michele is a consummate professional who has covered the State Department for nearly two decades,” the statement said. “We respectfully ask the State Department to reconsider and allow Michele to travel on the plane for this trip.”
“The State Department has courageously defended journalists around the world through statements under its seal,” it continued. “The State Department’s professional ethos commits employees to ‘serve with unfailing professionalism in both my demeanor and my actions, even in the face of adversity.’ We are committed to do our part to preserve a respectful, professional relationship with the institution we cover.”
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Mike Pompeo’s quarrel with NPR escalated after one of the radio network’s reporters was barred from flying on the Secretary of State's plane https://t.co/7jBiKIgDHV
— POLITICO (@politico) January 28, 2020
Shameful. Every other reporter on this trip should refuse to accompany, or cover, this Pompeo trip. Stand up against the administration’s anti-press and divide-and-rule approach. https://t.co/DRISjrPK8N
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) January 28, 2020
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