US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday during a visit to Kazakhstan that he carried a "perfect message" of global press freedom, following a bitter feud with US media.
A key ally of President Donald Trump, Pompeo has often echoed the president's disdain for the media.
More than a week ago he reportedly lost his temper with a National Public Radio (NPR) journalist who asked him whether he owed an apology to the former US ambassador to Kiev, Marie Yovanovitch.
The ambassador's abrupt removal was a focus of Trump's impeachment for abuse of power, and also led to criticism of Pompeo for failing to stand up for her.
The feud followed Pompeo to Nur-Sultan near the end of a tour to Europe -- including Ukraine -- and Central Asia.
While speaking to a journalist on the Kazakh team for Radio Free Europe, Pompeo talked about the "good work the State Department does to train journalists in press freedoms." The journalist then asked Pompeo what message his own attitude sent to countries -- including Kazakhstan -- that "routinely suppress press freedom."
Pompeo insisted that his exchange with Kelly had not been "confrontational," despite having issued a statement accusing the journalist of lying twice and calling the media "unhinged in its quest to hurt President Trump and this Administration."
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