Facing tumult in DC, Pompeo heads to Germany

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is heading overseas to improve relations with Germany as he comes under increasing criticism at home for his role in the events that led to the impeachment inquiry.

The State Department said Tuesday that Pompeo will meet with German officials to discuss a European pipeline project opposed by the U.S. He will also join festivities to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Pompeo is also expected to visit a U.S. Army base where he served in the 1980s.

The trip comes at a turbulent time amid the release of transcripts of testimony in the impeachment inquiry. Diplomats have said Pompeo failed to halt a White House effort to improperly press Ukraine for dirt on President Donald Trump’s rivals.