Pompeo quietly visits conservative donors and political figures on State Department trips
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a secretive trip in January to a Florida retirement enclave populated by prominent Republican donors while on the tail end of a diplomatic trip to Latin America.
Pompeo, President Donald Trump’s most loyal and powerful aide, has not tried to hide his political ambitions. But he has chosen not to disclose certain meetings that appeared to be linked to those plans while on taxpayer-funded trips. The exact number of the meetings is unclear, though there is a pattern of activity.
“What’s he supposed to do — not reach out and have social interaction with business leaders because his name has been associated with the presidential race? It’s part of the job,” said Alan Cobb, the president and chief executive of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and a longtime friend to Pompeo and his wife, Susan Pompeo. “And the fact is, most wealthy business leaders are political donors — good luck finding one who is not.
Congressional aides said they had noted Pompeo’s unannounced side visits while on diplomatic business. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., called for a special counsel investigation last year into the legality of Pompeo’s frequent Kansas trips. The Hatch Act forbids federal employees from using their official positions to carry out partisan political activities, with the exception of the president and vice president.
The president appointed an ally of Vice President Mike Pence’s, Stephen J. Akard, to be the acting inspector general. Akard went to the office on Monday, despite the mandatory 30-day congressional review period over Trump’s actions, and told people there that he would keep his ambassador-level State Department job, as head of the foreign missions office, while serving as inspector general.
Contact information from the dinners is sent to Susan Pompeo’s personal email address. A State Department political appointee who is a longtime friend of the family’s, Toni Porter, helps organize the dinners as well as domestic trips and meetings for the Pompeos. Porter had been a focal point of Linick’s investigation into potential misuse of agency resources.
The Kansas City Star ran a scathing editorial on the frequent trips with the headline: “Mike Pompeo, either quit and run for U.S. Senate in Kansas or focus on your day job.”
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
Illinois Republican gets kicked out of state legislature special session for refusing to wear a maskWhen asked by his colleagues if he would comply with a new rule requiring all state House members to wear a mask, Rep. Darren Bailey said, 'I will not.'
Lire la suite »
Pompeo says State Department watchdog should have been fired 'some time ago'U.S. Secretary of State on Wednesday declined to say why he recommended firing the State Department's inspector general, but added he should have done it earlier and rejected claims his decision was motivated by political retaliation.
Lire la suite »
Pompeo defends firing of State Dept. watchdog, says it wasn't retaliatorySec. Pompeo on Wednesday defended his request to have the State Dept. IG fired, saying it wasn't in retaliation for investigations the watchdog was conducting.
Lire la suite »
Pompeo says State Dept. watchdog should have been fired 'some time ago'U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday declined to say why he recommended firing the State Department's inspector general, but added he should have done it earlier and rejected claims his decision was motivated by political retaliation.
Lire la suite »
Pompeo reportedly privately met with big Republican donors at taxpayer expense while on official State Department tripsLast year, Sen. Bob Menendez called for a special counsel investigation to see if Pompeo&39;s frequent trips to Kansas were legal.
Lire la suite »