WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th January, 2020) The US House Foreign Affairs Committee has set a new date for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to testify on the administration's killing of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, and the panel is ready to take legal action if the top diplomat does not comply, Chairman Eliot Engel said in a letter published Friday.
"I am renewing my invitation for you to testify before the Committee on the Administration's policy toward Iran and Iraq, and on the use of force in the region," Engel said in the letter to Pompeo. "I consider your testimony to be of extremely high importance and am prepared to use all legal means to ensure your attendance."
Engel said the purpose of the hearing was to allow Congress and the American people to better understand the administration's justifications for using military force against Soleimani, Shia militias and other targets in Iraq and the middle East.
The hearing will take place at 10 a.m. EST on January 29 on Capitol Hill, Engel said.
Engel's request comes after Pompeo spurned an earlier invitation to appear before the committee on January 15 to testify on the Soleimani killing.
The State Department canceled two briefings on Iran that were scheduled to be held on Wednesday, while the Pentagon delayed its appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee the same day. The Pentagon later said it rescheduled its briefing in order to accommodate a larger audience.
