Pompeo warns Russia against interference

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that he told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that the United States would not tolerate future Russian interference in American elections.

Speaking to reporters at a news conference in Sochi, Pompeo said he told Lavrov that “interference in American elections is unacceptable and if the Russians were engaged in that in 2020 it would put our relationship in an even worse place than it has been.”

“We would not tolerate that,” Pompeo said.

President Trump’s chief diplomat has faced pressure from Democrats to take a hard line on Russia’s election interference during his meeting with Russian officials this week. Pompeo said Tuesday that the U.S. was opposed to interference from any country.

“We’ve said this not only about the Russians but about other countries as well,” he told reporters. “Our elections are important and sacred and they must be kept free and fair and with no outside country interfering.”

Pompeo spoke to reporters after meeting with Lavrov in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. The two said they discussed a variety of bilateral and global issues, including arms control, the political upheaval in Venezuela, North Korean denuclearization and Iran.