House Panel To Investigate Pompeo Over RNC Speech

NBC News reports:

Diplomats who are barred by law from mixing work and politics say they’re appalled by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s decision to address the Republican National Convention on Tuesday, breaking with long-standing traditions aimed at isolating American’s foreign policy from partisan battles at home. It would be problematic enough, current and former U.S. diplomats said, if Pompeo were simply showing up at the convention to speak.

But Pompeo’s decision to use a stop in Jerusalem during an official overseas trip as the site for his recorded speech to fellow Republicans raises even more troubling questions about the message it sends to other countries and whether U.S. taxpayers are footing the bill, they said. “It’s all just shredding the Hatch Act,” a current U.S. diplomat said, referring to the federal law that prohibits government employees from political activity on the job or in their official capacities.

BREAKING: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s decision to speak at the RNC tonight is now under investigation by the House.

— Ayman Mohyeldin (@AymanM) August 25, 2020

“Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sent a cable to all U.S. diplomatic missions last month warning American diplomats that under federal law they should not take overt sides in the presidential campaign. On Tuesday, he plans to ignore his own warning” https://t.co/bb3vYkyFW4

— Michael Tackett (@tackettdc) August 25, 2020

NEW: House Foreign Affairs Cmte. subpanel on oversight to investigate Sec. Pompeo’s pre-recorded RNC speech, according to letter obtained by @NBCNews. https://t.co/Adwp9mtQJ1

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) August 25, 2020