The State Department came out swinging Wednesday night after a Washington Post report that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo promised tough action against British Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn if he became prime minister and made life difficult for British Jews.
“The United States is a strong partner of the United Kingdom,” a State Department spokesman told Newsmax, “and we look forward to continuing that partnership with Prime Minister [Theresa] May through the duration of her term, as well as with her successor, whoever it may be.”
In a Post story Monday, a recording of a private meeting Pompeo held with Jewish community leaders in New York last month had him asked what the U.S. would do if Corbyn became prime minister and started taking a hard line on British Jews.
According to the Post’s report of the recording, the secretary of state acknowledged that the Labour leader could win the next election and become prime minister.
The Post reported that he then said, “[W]e won’t wait for him to do those things to begin to push back. We will do our level best. It’s too risky and too important and too hard once it’s already happened.”
As for the veracity of the recording, the spokesman simply replied that “We do not comment on anonymous leaks of purported conversations.”
The State Department’s statement to us came on the heels of growing British anger over what they consider an attempt by the Trump Administration to interfere in the succession to outgoing Prime Minister May.
“President Trump and his officials’ attempts to decide who will be Britain’s next prime minister are an entirely unacceptable interference in the UK’s democracy,” a Labour spokesperson told reporters.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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