NYT attacks “AWOL Pompeo”, then learns he was rescuing Americans in Korea

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In an apparent jab at the administration, The Times’ headline said, “At a Key Moment, Trump’s Top Diplomat Is Again Thousands of Miles Away.”

The Times’ story noted that “Senior State Department officials were momentarily speechless on Tuesday when asked why Mr. Pompeo did not delay his trip by a day to be in Washington during Mr. Trump’s Iran deal announcement.”


It became clear on Wednesday morning why Pompeo didn’t delay his trip to Pyongyang when Trump took to Twitter.

The story, written by Gardiner Harris, focused on Trump’s top diplomat being absent when Trump “made what could be the most significant diplomatic announcement of his presidency” by pulling out of the Iran nuclear agreement.

“The absence of Mr. Pompeo and other top State Department officials left perplexed European diplomats privately complaining that they were having trouble getting answers from Washington,” Harris wrote.

The Times story also mocked Pompeo’s plane, reporting that it “has such poor equipment that calls are often dropped midsentence.”

It turned out that Pompeo’s absence was more than justified, and any aging technology on his plane didn’t prevent him from leaving Pyongyang with three Americans that have been held captive oversees. The detaniees -- Tony Kim, Kim Hak Song and Kim Dong Chul -- are presumably thankful that Pompeo didn’t push back his trip to satisfy European diplomats

In addition to rescuing three Americans, Pompeo also helped arrange a date and location for Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong Un, according to Trump.

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