- The Washington Times - Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Sen. Robert Menendez, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Wednesday called for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to recuse himself from Ukraine-related matters.

“The American people need to have confidence that the nation’s chief diplomat is making decisions based on the national interest — not to advance a partisan political agenda,” the New Jersey Democrat wrote in a letter to Mr. Pompeo. “Recusal is the only option at this point to prevent further erosion of the integrity of the U.S. foreign policy.”

Mr. Menendez also demanded the secretary of state refrain from participating in any decisions regarding Ukraine foreign policy or foreign assistance.

On Wednesday, Mr. Pompeo admitted that he was on the July 25 phone call in which President Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joseph R. Biden and his son Hunter.

The phone call was part of a whistleblower’s complaint that accused Mr. Trump of soliciting interference from Ukraine for the 2020 presidential election.

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.

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