Mike Pompeo Blasts the Washington Post For ‘Appalling and Sick’ al-Baghdadi Headline

The Washington Post’s headline describing former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as a “religious scholar” is a false, “sick” narrative and should be viewed as “appalling,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday on “Fox & Friends.”

Pompeo said the newspaper’s timing and choice of words were completely out of line and called for those responsible to apologize.

“I think it’s appalling and sick … that they’ve frankly not apologized for taking this man who was the head of the terrorist organization that beheaded people… who led a caliphate that threatened large pieces of the Middle East and indeed, presented risks to the United States and America,” Pompeo said.

Supreme Court litigator convicted of tax evasion

‘Squad’ member claims State of the Union guest was arrested

WATCH: JD Vance Says Dems Showed ‘Cowardice’ During Trump’s SOTU Address And Lack ‘Conviction’

Report: Bill Gates Privately Apologizes to His Foundation Over Epstein Ties, Admits ‘Affairs’ with Russians

DHS says ICE agents will not be at polling places during midterms

Trump admin says VA benefits claims backlog below 100K for first time in 6 years: ‘Record levels of service’

Trump administration blocks Venezuela from paying Maduro’s legal bills amid federal charges

Murder suspect in Baltimore robbery spree was on probation, records show

Authorities preparing to return home of Nancy Guthrie back to family: report

Toddler flees in terror as coyote chases him outside California family home in broad daylight

Ex-Air Force pilot arrested for allegedly training Chinese military pilots without authorization

Some of the most notable guests at Trump’s 2026 State of the Union: photos

Senators Sanders and Mullin clash in heated Senate hearing exchange: ‘You’re part of the problem’

Trump’s fraud czar nominee touts Minnesota blueprint to root out Obamacare fraud, senior scams

Trump’s ‘war on fraud’ draws range of reactions during SOTU speech

“The fact that a national newspaper would describe this person as an “austere scholar” in their headline — in the immediate aftermath of the achievements of President Trump and the administration, is truly appalling,” Pompeo continued.

Al-Baghdadi, who took over as the head of ISIS after his predecessor Abu Omar al-Baghdadi was killed in 2010, detonated a suicide vest as U.S. special forces closed in. Troops were sent to attack a compound in northern Syria where al-Baghdadi was located, according to a U.S. defense official.

No U.S. Special Operations forces were harmed or killed during the mission, and Trump claimed the operation had been in the works for several weeks.

Fox News host Sean Hannity also weighed in on the headline and called it “sick and repulsive,” in a Sunday Twitter post.