US President David Price, a Democrat from North Carolina, is calling on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to resign after the latter appeared at the Republican National Convention.
“Since the secretary is unable to rise above the election year policy, he must resign immediately and then reimburse the Treasury personally for all expenses related to this trip,” Price said Tuesday in a statement. “The American people deserve a Secretary of State who focuses solely on them.”
Pompeo recorded the speech for a decor of the Old City of Jerusalem, prompting Price to ask the secretary to repay the treasury department for his trip out of his own pocket.
“The allegation that his RNC speech was made on his own personal time ignores the fact that U.S. taxpayers paid for his trip and that State Department staff accompanied him abroad,” Price said.
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He said the top U.S. diplomat gave priority to partisanship over diplomacy.
“The Secretary of State has a solemn duty to work on behalf of the American people and must be laser-focused on diplomatic efforts to ensure our national security by coordinating with our allies, keeping our opponents at bay and American values abroad. to maintain, ”Price said.
Pompeo had deviated from tradition by appearing at Congress – something past state secretaries have not done. The speech touched on controversy and criticism from Democrats amid questions about whether it is in violation of the Hatch Act.
However, it stayed away from party snippets, reportedly rejecting the election as Democratic candidate Joe Biden and focused instead on the actions of the Trump administration on the world stage.
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“The primary constitutional function of the national government is to ensure that your family and mine are safe and enjoy the freedom to live, work, learn and worship as they choose,” he said. “By delivering this duty to keep us safe and our freedoms intact, this president has led courageous initiatives in almost every corner of the globe.”
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The speech also came just weeks after he sent a memo to the State Department’s diplomatic missions warning staff to prevent the public from taking part in the 2020 presidential race.
Fox News’ Andrew O’Reilly contributed to this report.
