CIA director nominee Mike Pompeo: WikiLeaks not a credible source
TOPEKA – U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo, who will likely be the next Central Intelligence Agency director, said Thursday that he does not consider the website WikiLeaks to be a credible source of information.
During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Pompeo was asked about a tweet he sent July 24, 2016.
“Need further proof that the fix was in from Pres. Obama on down? BUSTED: 19,252 Emails from DNC Leaked by Wikileaks,” wrote the Republican congressman from south-central Kansas.
WikiLeaks drew the praise of some conservatives during the 2016 election as it slowly published a trickle of emails from Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta. American intelligence agencies have since concluded emails from Podesta and the Democratic National Committee were taken by Russian hackers seeking to aid President-elect Donald Trump.
Pompeo, appointed by Trump to lead the CIA, was asked by U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, whether he considers WikiLeaks to be a valuable source of information.
“I do not,” Pompeo said.
King pressed Pompeo for more information, saying, “The fact that you used the word ‘proof’ — ‘need proof’ — that would indicate that you did think it was a credible source of information.”
“Senator King, I have never believed that WikiLeaks was a credible source of information,” Pompeo repeated.
When King asked how Pompeo can explain his tweet if he considers WikiLeaks unreliable, Pompeo said he would have to read the tweet in question before answering.
“But I can assure you I have some deep understanding of WikiLeaks and I have never viewed it as a credible source of information for the United States or for anyone else,” Pompeo reiterated.
The exchange between King and Pompeo was one of several Thursday in which Pompeo shared opinions that differ from those of Trump. During the final month of the campaign, Trump called WikiLeaks “amazing” and said, “I love WikiLeaks.” He told a crowd on Oct. 20, “We’ve learned so much from WikiLeaks.”
WikiLeaks, in turn, has come to Trump’s defense as the president-elect faces questions about Russian hacking, dismissing claims that the emails it published came from Russia.
