Last fall, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo almost spoke at a Trump campaign rally, but backed off when told it would violate rules. A year later, he doesn’t care about the rules anymore
Last fall, President Donald Trump asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to speak at one of his campaign rallies – an appearance that would have shattered longstanding norms keeping America’s chief diplomat away from partisan politics.
On Wednesday, Pompeo will visit Wisconsin, a critical swing state, to deliver a speech in its state Capitol. The speech is ostensibly about foreign policy, but considering the presidential election is just weeks away, Pompeo’s appearance is arguably his clearest brush-off yet of critics who accuse him of politicizing his office.
Pompeo has engaged in politically flavored activities even though he’s come under multiple investigations, one of which cleared him, about how he’s using his government position. Besides, Trump has made it clear he won’t punish anyone for using government resources for partisan ends, despite laws against such activities. The president himself used the White House to stage parts of this year’s GOP convention.
Pompeo, too, insists he’s within his legal rights – he often uses phrases like “as required by law” – but won’t get into specifics. During the church visit, he said, “As the secretary of State, I’m not allowed to do politics, but I can do duty” in urging the audience to vote. Pompeo made a name for himself in Washington by acting in a highly partisan fashion. He came to the capital as a congressman from Kansas, winning the seat on the Tea Party wave of 2010. He was a loud critic of the Obama administration and appeared to take special delight in attacking Clinton, especially over the 2012 Benghazi attacks that killed a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans.
Pompeo also has spoken at domestic events that seem to cater to key parts of the GOP base, especially evangelical voters. Last October, he gave a speech titled “Being a Christian Leader” to the American Association of Christian Counselors in Tennessee. This past February, Pompeo spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference, a popular venue for aspiring Republican presidential contenders.
For the visit to the Texas church this past weekend, the State Department initially said Pompeo planned to “discuss Department of State priorities.” But while Pompeo did talk about religious liberty, much of the speech was about himself, his faith and how he blends it with his work. More recently, the State Department quickly produced thousands of documents for Republicans investigating Joe Biden, Trump’s Democratic rival in November’s election, while ignoring Democrats’ requests for the material. That led House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel to pursue contempt proceedings against Pompeo. On Friday, Engel said the State Department had finally handed over the Biden-related documents; he will be dropping the contempt proceedings.
“I hope someone at the State Department is keeping track of how much this abuse is costing taxpayers,” Engel said in a statement to POLITICO. “When this administration finally comes to an end, he ought to get an invoice.” During the recent hearing, Castro asked String about the incident last fall. String indicated that he didn’t remember the details, saying: “As I recall, there was a period in 2019 when that issue that you raised came up and it was reviewed.” String is an increasingly controversial figure at the department, and his appointment to the legal office as well as some of his maneuverings have drawn scrutiny from lawmakers.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Florida Republicans: Nominating Lagoa could clinch state for TrumpLeading Florida Republicans are launching an all-out effort to convince President Donald Trump to nominate federal Judge Barbara Lagoa to the U.S. Supreme Court — a move they say would boost his reelection chances in the must-win swing state
Read more »
In Swing State Arizona, McSally Bets on GOP Base—and TrumpIn a state that is changing rapidly and is considered a key battleground in November, Martha McSally is banking on a base-first strategy that ties her closely to President Trump.
Read more »
Virginia Trump Supporters Help Trump in His Push to Make It Harder to VoteAfter Trump encouraged crowds to be “poll watchers,” a group of Virginia supporters protested early voting and may have engaged in voter intimidation.
Read more »
Ohio Lt. Governor Booed at Trump Rally for Promoting Trump 2020 MasksRallygoers weren’t pleased with Jon Husted, a co-chair of the Ohio Trump campaign, when he suggested they wear masks supporting Trump’s reelection.
Read more »
Donald Trump Jr. Alleges ‘Millions’ Of Fake Ballots In New, Unfounded Trump Campaign VideoThe website volunteers are instructed to sign up with, defendyourballot.com, redirects to a different URL—and doesn’t mention anything about poll watching.
Read more »