WASHINGTON _ The State Department was sued on Friday for records of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's contacts with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell over a possible run for Senate in Kansas.
American Oversight, the watchdog organization that brought the suit, notes that the secretary of state has reportedly continued to meet with Republican donors despite closing the door on a run for the open Senate seat, being vacated by retiring Sen. Pat Roberts.
Their Freedom of Information Act lawsuit requested the documents be turned over within 20 business days in order to "improve the public's understanding" of Pompeo's relationship with an "influential member of Congress who may share political interests" with the secretary of state.
Pompeo told McConnell in January he did not intend to run for Roberts' seat, according to sources close to the Kentucky Republican.
"What we're looking for is basically what Mitch McConnell has gotten in return for being such an incredible soldier for this administration," Ryan Evers, executive director of American Oversight, told McClatchy. "We're also very interested in the way that Mike Pompeo was a potential Senate candidate, and the degree to which he was using his position to workshop with Mitch McConnell."
The organization also requested records of the majority leader's communications with U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft during her tenure. Craft, like McConnell, is a Kentucky native, and McConnell reportedly recommended Craft for her current post.
The State Department has one month to respond to the legal filing, at which point American Oversight expects a court to order both sides to negotiate a production schedule for the documents.
"Any documents that reflect the official work of the State Department belong to the public," Evers said, adding that his organization believes the records are of public value "to the extent they reveal quid pro quo-style political deals."
The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks records of contact between top officials in Pompeo and McConnell's offices.
"Another thing it could reveal is the machinations between the State Department and Senate leadership to effectuate the president's blockade of oversight," he added.
The group said in a press release that "even after opting not to run for the Senate, questions about Pompeo's future political aspirations have persisted."
McConnell's office did not comment. But his campaign manager, Kevin Golden, responded to the lawsuit, dismissing it as "a consistent effort from coastal leftists to undermine the influence Kentucky has because of Senator McConnell."
"There is obviously nothing improper, but they won't be happy until New York and California direct every dollar to a leftist agenda in their own back yard," Golden said.
American Oversight has filed dozens of lawsuits against the Trump administration. In its most recent filings, it also seeks communications between McConnell's office and the Department of Transportation, run by his wife, Elaine Chao.
The U.S. Mission to the United Nations and the State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
