“They also referenced journalists who are imprisoned or have been killed for their reporting” : Their attempt draw corollaries between the horrific deaths or circumstances of other journalists and the few harsh words he had with her only defeats their position really. He didn’t imprison her or kill her or in anyway threaten her freedom or physical person. The left seem to do this sort of stuff regularly and the low thinking voter buys it but “the times they are a changing!”
That also assumes that Pompeo did what she alleged. There are few journalists whose word I would automatically accept as true.