More from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Tomorrow on Meet the Press with Chuck Todd
SEPTEMBER 22, 2018 – “It’s a pretty fair assessment,” that the Russians have not been helpful on foreign policy objectives, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tells Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd in an interview airing on tomorrow’s broadcast, adding “there’s a handful of other places in the world where we do have overlapping interests, although certainly not values.”
Pompeo also noted that in an effort to “push back against Russia’s malign activity around the world,” this week the U.S. “put sanctions on China” for buying Russian weapons.
Tune in to tomorrow’s broadcast for more from the interview with Secretary Pompeo, plus exclusive interviews with Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and David Perdue (R-Ga.).
Watch this exchange, and see its transcript below.
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CHUCK TODD: The Russians don’t seem to be helpful on any front here. Is that a fair assessment?
SECRETARY MIKE POMPEO: It’s a pretty fair assessment, and it’s, it’s most unfortunate because there are places where we have shared interest. I worked with them closely on counterterrorism issues. There’s a handful of other places in the world where we do have overlapping interests, although certainly not values. They’re a country that’s very different from ours in that respect. They have not proven helpful in the Ukraine, in Syria. You’ve shown it. We, this week, sanctioned — put sanctions on China as a result of the CAATSA law that passed. Again, trying to push back against Russia’s malign activity around the world. The president’s tried to develop a relationship and change that, but we’ve not been successful, at least to date.
CHUCK TODD: It seems like it’s a good cop, bad cop. You’re being bad cop. Secretary — or maybe realistic, when it comes to Russia, and the president’s been trying to play good cop. Is that not working?
SECRETARY MIKE POMPEO: I don’t think that’s the situation at all. I think the predicate of your question is just —
CHUCK TODD: You don’t accept it?
SECRETARY MIKE POMPEO: Just, just wrong. I think we’re all trying to be cops that are protecting America and I think we’ve actually achieved that, Chuck.
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