DEFIES CREDULITY

Pompeo ‘Really Proud’ of State Department Response to Thousands of Americans Stranded Overseas

The Secretary of State defended the evacuation of Americans worldwide amid a torrent of condemnation.

Despite criticism from the public and Congress on the repatriation of Americans stranded abroad, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended his department’s actions on Thursday. “The team has marshaled the resources,” Pompeo continued. “It’s an airlift back home like we’ve not seen in an awfully long time, and I’m really proud of the way our team has responded.” Meanwhile, thousands of Americans are still stuck in countries that have shut down (most notably Peru, where many are running out of medication and money while getting little communication from the embassy). Many have found the department’s response for travelers to enroll in STEP (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program) to be useless. In the interview Thursday on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show, Pompeo did admit that “there’s still a lot of work to do.” He added: “We’ve got a lot of people who are trying to get back this way, and with travel shut down in many of these countries without any notice or little notice, there’s still a major undertaking.”