Article snippet: Michael Pompeo should recuse himself from State Department matters related to the Ukraine scandal underpinning the House impeachment inquiry, according to Senate Democrats who argue that the probe’s witnesses directly implicated the secretary of state. In a letter addressed to Pompeo, Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee say testimony from Ambassador Gordon Sondland and Pompeo’s participation in the July 25 call between President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s leader show that the secretary was “fully aware” of Trump’s efforts to withhold security aid to Ukraine for his own personal political purposes. “You have continued to impede the House impeachment inquiry, including by refusing to produce any State Department records on the Trump-Ukraine scandal -- including those that may shed further light on your own complicity,” the letter says. “As Ambassador Sondland testified, the department also refused to provide him access to his own materials as he prepared to testify.” The letter, which was signed by all 10 Democrats on the committee, said that these efforts indicate that Pompeo is blocking Congress from getting a complete picture of the issue due to concerns it would prove to be politically damaging to the secretary and the president. “The only legitimate option is for you to recuse and delegate the department’s response to the Trump-Ukraine scandal to a senior career department official,” the letter says. “We urge you to do so immediately.” Sondlan... Link to the full article to read more