A leading hostage rights group caved in to pressure from the anti-Trump media and withdrew its prestigious "Freedom Award" from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, disinviting him from their awards banquet this week.
According to a report in the Washington Examiner Wednesday, the group's "Media partners" threatened to boycott the event if Pompeo got the award after keynote speaker, CNN's Christiane Amanpour, expressed her "Concern."
The award was to recognize Pompeo and the administration's focus on freeing Americans held prisoners around the world, a campaign that has topped the president's foreign policy agenda and inspired the appointment of a "Special presidential envoy for hostage affairs." The group even posted its decision online in its invitation for supporters to pay up to $50,000 a table to attend the awards banquet.
Diane Foley, James Foley's mother and the foundation's president and founder, had personally told Pompeo of the award in her own note, before retracting it, the Examiner reported.
Pompeo called the decision "Sad" in a diplomatic letter to Foley and ripped the "Ignoble conduct" of the "Cynical and abominable" media for allowing politics to interfere with a good cause.
"I understand that the Foundation decided to rescind the Freedom Award and my invitation to attend the 2019 James W. Foley Freedom Awards due to pressure from its media partners and your fear, stated in your letter, that some guests at the dinner would not show my office proper respect if I attended," wrote Pompeo.
Asked for comment, the foundation's Executive Director Margaux Ewen praised Pompeo but refused to address why it yanked his award and invitation.
https://pjmedia.com/trending/anti-trump-media-bullies-force-group-to-rescind-freedom-award-to-mike-pompeo/
According to a report in the Washington Examiner Wednesday, the group's "Media partners" threatened to boycott the event if Pompeo got the award after keynote speaker, CNN's Christiane Amanpour, expressed her "Concern."
The award was to recognize Pompeo and the administration's focus on freeing Americans held prisoners around the world, a campaign that has topped the president's foreign policy agenda and inspired the appointment of a "Special presidential envoy for hostage affairs." The group even posted its decision online in its invitation for supporters to pay up to $50,000 a table to attend the awards banquet.
Diane Foley, James Foley's mother and the foundation's president and founder, had personally told Pompeo of the award in her own note, before retracting it, the Examiner reported.
Pompeo called the decision "Sad" in a diplomatic letter to Foley and ripped the "Ignoble conduct" of the "Cynical and abominable" media for allowing politics to interfere with a good cause.
"I understand that the Foundation decided to rescind the Freedom Award and my invitation to attend the 2019 James W. Foley Freedom Awards due to pressure from its media partners and your fear, stated in your letter, that some guests at the dinner would not show my office proper respect if I attended," wrote Pompeo.
Asked for comment, the foundation's Executive Director Margaux Ewen praised Pompeo but refused to address why it yanked his award and invitation.
https://pjmedia.com/trending/anti-trump-media-bullies-force-group-to-rescind-freedom-award-to-mike-pompeo/
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