Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will not testify on Tuesday at the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Iran, the panel’s chairman Rep. Eliot Engel announced on Monday, The Hill reported.
“I’m disappointed and frustrated that Secretary Pompeo will not appear before the committee tomorrow,” Engel said.
The New York Democrat added that “Each passing day raises new questions about the strike that killed General Soleimani. “Was there really an imminent threat? Was it part of a larger operation? What was the legal justification? What is the path forward? With the wildly muddled explanations coming from the administration, the secretary should welcome the opportunity to make the case and answer questions before the American people.”
Pompeo is currently on a trip to California until Wednesday.
The secretary of state’s non-appearance at the hearing comes as administration officials, including President Donald Trump, have had changing explanations for the assassination of Soleimani.
Pompeo was one of the administration officials who briefed congressmen last week on the strike, but many lawmakers criticized it as inadequate, according to The Washington Times.
House lawmakers last week passed a non-binding resolution limiting Trump's ability to wage a war with Iran, and the Senate is expected to discuss a similar motion this week.
Tuesday’s House hearing is expected to include expert testimony from Council on Foreign Relations president Richard Haass, the Brookings Institution's Avril Haines and former national security adviser Stephen Hadley, according to The Hill.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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