In the on-going impeachment inquiry, US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, appears to have adopted an obstructionist strategy aimed at protecting Trump.

A whistleblower’s complaint about a call made by Trump in July 2019 to his Ukrainian counterpart has revealed startling information. The call allegedly saw Trump seeking dirt on political rival and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in exchange for military aid. This information was enough for House Democrats to launch an impeachment inquiry.

However, for the inquiry to prosper the house Democrats need access to information that might answer a simple question: Did the President of the United States enlist foreign aid to commit campaign finance fraud? Because foreign dignitaries are involved, some of the information will have to come from the State Department.

However, Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo has shown great reluctance in complying or collaborating with the House Democrats. In response, House Democrats issued a subpoena for Pompeo to provide information and documents that may help advance the impeachment inquiry. Pompeo in turn engaged the Democrats in a war of words and has adopted an attitude that suggests he does not feel the matter is important.

In fact, Pompeo argued that Democrats’ push for information from him and his staff amounted to intimidation. House Democrats have concluded that Pompeo’s attitude amounted to an obstruction of Justice. Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), and Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.). “Congress may infer from this obstruction that any withheld documents and testimony would reveal information that corroborates the whistle-blower complaint.”

You can read more on this story in The Hill.