Fox News host Steve Hilton has accused Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of acting like a "baby" and a "bully" in the wake of his infamous interview with NPR.
Pompeo has been highly criticized for his conduct during and allegedly after his interview with NPR's Mary Louise Kelly for All Things Considered in which he faced questions about Iran and Ukraine.
During the January 24 interview, Pompeo refused to directly answer questions on whether he defended former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch before she was ousted last May.
After the interview, according to Kelly, Pompeo allegedly unleashed an expletive-laden tirade at the journalist, unhappy at the questions she posed, before asking, "Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?" and seeing if she could point out the eastern European country on a map.
Pompeo then accused Kelly of lying to him before and after the interview was conducted in an official statement released via the State Department.
"Secretary of State Mike Pompeo got into an ugly dust up with an NPR reporter this week and I've got something I want to get off my chest," Hilton said on Sunday.
"First, I want to make clear I'm a big fan of the secretary. I appreciate his tough stand on many issues, not least China," Hilton said while showing a tweet from Pompeo calling for the U.K. to ban Chinese mobile phone operator Huawei from its telecom systems, which Hilton has also called for.
"But last week, Pompeo lost his temper after an interview with NPR, Mary Louise Kelly, unleashing a four letter word tirade, and putting out a ridiculous statement whining about what questions he agreed to answer.
"I listen to NPR a lot and I can tell you that Mary Louise Kelly is one of the very few hosts on there who actually seems fair and is not totally biased against President Trump.
"For goodness sake, Mr. Secretary, don't be such a baby. You should be able to handle tough questions by now and don't be such a bully. Foul mouth ranting at a reporter doing her job is an embarrassment to you and the administration. You should apologize and people will think much more of you if you do," Hilton said.
In his statement following the interview, Pompeo said: "NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly lied to me, twice. First, last month, in setting up our interview and, then again yesterday, in agreeing to have our post-interview conversation off the record. It is shameful that this reporter chose to violate the basic rules of journalism and decency.
"This is another example of how unhinged the media has become in its quest to hurt President Trump and this Administration. It is no wonder that the American people distrust many in the media when they so consistently demonstrate their agenda and their absence of integrity."
In a statement to Newsweek, NPR's senior vice president of news, Nancy Barnes, said: "Mary Louise Kelly has always conducted herself with the utmost integrity, and we stand behind this report."
The State Department has been contacted for further comment.
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Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
