Pompeo meets Pope Francis as impeachment heats up in Washington

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met privately with Pope Francis and visited his ancestral home in sourn Italy on Thursday as impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump roiled Washington. On a day when a former special envoy for Ukraine was due to be interviewed in impeachment probe, Pompeo appeared to be seeking some respite from growing storm back home with his low-key schedule. But Pompeo has become increasingly drawn into drama, and on Wednesday he confirmed for first time that he listened in on July phone call between Trump and Ukraine’s president that is at centre of impeachment drive by House Democrats.

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evidence of Spiritual solacer

re was indication that Pompeo, an evangelical Christian, sought any of spiritual solace from Pope Francis during ir meeting, which took place on third day of his visit to Italy, first stop of a four-nation tour of Europe. In a brief statement, State Department said Pompeo’s meeting with pope focused on promoting religious freedom, particularly protecting vulnerable Christian communities in Middle East, democracy and human rights. Vatican confirmed meeting took place but offered details. Afterwards, Pompeo me two-hour drive from Rome to Pacentro, in Italy’s Abruzzo region. Pompeo’s paternal grandfar came from small town of roughly 1,000 residents, where locals say his last living relative died some 30 years ago.

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Pompeo celebration amidst Kurt Volker interview

Pompeo’s celebration of his Italian herit came just hours before former special envoy to Ukraine, Kurt Volker, was to appear for a closed-door interview with House investigators. Volker, who put Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani in contact with a top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, resigned last week a day after his name appeared in whistleblower complaint that sparked impeachment inquiry. Giuliani has said he was pressing Ukrainian officials to investigate son of one of Trump’s political rivals, former Vice President Joe Biden, for corruption over his dealings with a Ukrainian energy company. Giuliani has shown text messs with Volker that he says prove State Department was aware of and endorsed his push.

But current and former U.S. officials tell a different story. y say Volker was seeking to disentangle Giuliani’s efforts from ministration’s broer Ukraine policy, which is to promote counter-corruption efforts and help country defend itself from Russian-backed separatists in its east. Pompeo on Wednesday mentioned Volker’s role when he ackwledged participating in Trump-Zekenskiy phone call during which Trump sought “a favour” from his Ukrainian counterpart. Pompeo would t say if he thought re was anything improper about conversation but said it took place in context of longstanding U.S. policy toward Ukraine. “It’s what our team, including Ambassor Volker, what we’re focused on,” he said. “Taking down threat that Russia poses re in Ukraine. It was about helping Ukrainians to get graft out and corruption outside of ir government.”

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