Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the media had pressured a foundation to rescind an award to him. In two interviews Friday, Pompeo criticized the decision by the James Foley Legacy Foundation, named after an American journalist who was beheaded in 2014 by Islamic State militants in Syria. But on Jan. 11, Pompeo was informed that the foundation had withdrawn the award and the dinner invitation. Two weeks after Khashoggi was killed, President Trump sent Pompeo to Riyadh, where he was photographed smiling and shaking hands with the crown prince. Despite the tiff over the award, Pompeo said he “loves” the Foley family, and the Foley Foundation had praise for Pompeo.

Source: Washington Post April 05, 2019 22:41 UTC