Top House Democrat slams Pompeo over remarks about second Trump administration

The top Democrat with oversight of foreign affairs criticized Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday, saying he is reinforcing “false claims” from President Trump of election fraud.

Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), the outgoing chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Pompeo is playing “along with baseless and dangerous attacks on the legitimacy of last week’s election.”

“In fact, all Administration officials should drop their false claims about electoral fraud and [the General Services Administration] should release the funding and support necessary for a smooth transition that protects our national security,” Engel said in a statement.

Engel added that the State Department “should now begin preparing for President-elect Biden’s transition.”

Pompeo said during a press briefing at the State Department earlier Tuesday that “there will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration.”

The nation’s top diplomat also signaled that he didn’t believe the results of the election, saying “we’re gonna count all the votes.”

Biden was declared the winner of the presidential race on Saturday, yet Trump has refused to concede the election, launched numerous legal battles alleging voter fraud and blocked the release of physical and financial resources set aside for an incoming administration.

Many Republican allies of the incumbent president have supported Trump’s legal pursuit to investigate voter fraud but said the results of the election are unlikely to change.