Fox News host calls on Pompeo to apologize to NPR reporter for berating her

.

Fox News host Steve Hilton rebuked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for yelling at an NPR reporter after a contentious interview.

Pompeo, 56, abruptly ended an interview with NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly Friday after she posed questions about the ouster of former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. With the microphone off, in what Pompeo claims was an off-the-record comment, he yelled her and questioned if she could find Ukraine on an unmarked map of the world.

Hilton, the host of The Next Revolution, on the show Sunday accused the former CIA director and Kansas congressman of losing “his temper” and unleashing “a four-letter-word tirade” against Kelly.

NPR said Kelly never agreed to the off-the-record arrangement and published a report about Pompeo’s comments toward her. The State Department, in response, released a statement admonishing her.

Hilton defended Kelly, calling her “one of the very few hosts [at NPR] who actually seems fair and is not totally biased against President Trump,” while adding that Pompeo’s statement was “ridiculous.”

“For goodness sake, Mr. Secretary, don’t be such a baby. You should be able to handle tough questions by now, and don’t be such a bully. Foul-mouth ranting at a reporter doing her job is an embarrassment to you and the administration,” Hilton said. “You should apologize. And people will think much more of you if you do.”

The State Department statement criticizing Kelly also drew criticism from Democratic senators on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker of New Jersey, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Ed Markey of Massachusetts, and Jeff Merkley of Oregon noted their “profound disappointment and concern” regarding his response to the reporter’s questions.

Related Content

Related Content