Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has doubled down on his sharp criticism of murdered Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. In his new book, Pompeo called Khashoggi—who was dismembered and mutilated in 2018 at the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul—an “activist” aligned with Osama Bin Laden and the Muslim Brotherhood, and criticized media outlets for sympathetically covering his death. Fred Ryan, publisher and CEO of the Washington Post, lambasted Pompeo for his baseless remarks. “It is shameful that Pompeo would spread vile falsehoods to dishonor a courageous man’s life and service—and his commitment to principles Americans hold dear—as a ploy to sell books,” Ryan said in a statement Tuesday. Pompeo shamelessly held up his convictions, justifying his role in not labeling Saudi Arabia “a pariah state.” “I never let the media bully me,” Pompeo replied to the Post. “Just b/c someone is a part-time stringer for WaPo doesn’t make their life more important than our military serving in dangerous places protecting us all. I never forgot that.”