NEWARK – Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, spoke to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer following the issuance of a subpoena by three House committees to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over his refusal to produce critical documents related to President Donald Trump’s coercion of a foreign leader to investigate his domestic political opponents.

“We have the President of the United Stated perverting and corrupting the use of his power to get a foreign government, once again, involved in our elections, and using the resources of the federal government… all in an effort to get dirt on the President’s political opponents,” said Menendez. “This is as outrageous as it gets, even for this presidency. It goes to the core of our democracy and our Constitution. That is why it needs to be pursued at any cost.”

Earlier today, Menendez called on Secretary Pompeo to immediately testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after the release of a declassified whistleblower complaint revealed senior State Department officials were both on the line and briefed after Trump pressured Ukrainian President Zelensky to bolster his 2020 election prospects.

“Who is Rudy Giuliani as it relates to the State Department?… He is the President’s private attorney, obviously playing the role of henchman in an attempt to dig up dirt on one of the President’s potential political opponents,” added Menendez in demanding justifications for the central role the President’s personal lawyer has played in pushing Trump’s agenda in Ukraine. “I hope that Chairman Risch will take active participation in doing the oversight, the reviews, the request for documents, and the engagement with the Secretary of State because this goes to the very essence of how we are conducting foreign policy in the national interest and security of the United States.”