Top US diplomat struggles to shrug off impeachment inquiry

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has tried to shrug off the impeachment inquiry that has ensnared the State Department and raised questions about his leadership.

Pompeo has portrayed the inquiry, which centers on President Donald Trump’s attempt to link U.S. military aid to Ukraine to a corruption probe of a political rival, as unworthy of his attention.

The top U.S. diplomat has repeatedly rejected the process as “noise” and belittled those who ask him about it, calling their questions “insane” or “crazy.”

But Pompeo may not be able to maintain that show of indifference much longer. Three senior diplomats are scheduled to testify in public before Congress next week, and Pompeo is weighing a possible run for the Senate from his home state of Kansas in 2020.