Pompeo mocks the State Department … for its ambitions

Never before has America’s foreign policy been harmed, at least in recent history, by President Donald Trump and his State Department in particular. The stench of systemic corruption now emanates from the corridors and offices of the latter, where the violation of the laws and regulations of the ministry is no longer classified in the category of anecdotes, but has become a frequent behavior that led to the Office of the Special Counsel to the Department of Justice to investigate whether the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, took advantage of His position to participate in partisan political activity (this is a prohibited practice under the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from participating in activities partisans while performing their official governmental functions).

Traditionally, U.S. foreign ministers, in either Republican or Democratic administrations, have tried to avoid being suspended or involved in partisan affairs during their tenure, based on the principle that partisan loyalties must be abandoned, in order for officials to can speak with one voice to all Americans, as well as to other countries. Under the Trump administration, the State Department has emerged as a government entity that lacks the institutional controls that typically restrict misconduct by individual employees and prevent personal conflicts of interest at work. For example, the president of the United States received warnings from lawyers the day after he elected ExxonMobil’s CEO, at the time, Rex Tillerson, arguing that this appointment constituted a potential conflict of interest. In fact, Pompeo’s history of abuse cannot be compared to the politics of his predecessor Tillerson. However, the latter benefited, in one way or another, from his presence in a position that generated financial gains, despite the fact that he had only spent a year at the forefront of American diplomacy. He was able to sell his stake in ExxonMobil, which was estimated at $ 54 million, allowing him to avoid paying an estimated 71 million in initial capital gains taxes. As for the violations and crimes of his successor, there is no shame. Under Pompeo, the increasing politicization of the State Department led to the migration of experts who resigned in protest or were fired in search of others who owed greater loyalty to Trump and his administration. Most prominent of these is former senior adviser to the department, Michael McKinley, who warned that the Office of the General Counsel “is leaning toward political partisanship.” This was evident in 2019, when Pompeo appointed attorney Marek String as the minister’s legal adviser. According to the official biography released by the State Department, String, who joined the State Department as a senior adviser in July 2017, has managed more than 400 arms sales to the United States government, worth about $ 200 billion. Dollars. These agreements contributed to its promotion, despite shortcomings that it came from outside the professional ranks, which was the focus of the hearing held by the Committee on Foreign Relations in the House of Representatives in July 2019. At that time , doubts arose as to whether their promotion had anything to do with these arms sales. The interrogation session extended to String’s relationship with the drafting of the emergency measure that Pompeo launched that year, which allowed him to bypass the presidency of Congress to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The case came to the table of former State Department inspector general Steve Linnick, who was investigating Pompeo’s misconduct and the misuse of department resources to funnel $ 8 billion in arms sales to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. An investigation that further motivated his removal from office on May 15, 2019, based on Pompeo’s recommendation. The minister’s move was interpreted as a retaliatory measure he took to cover up his scandal, which was kept secret. Linnick was also investigating the possibility that Pompeo could misuse the ministry’s resources for his and his wife’s personal gain, hiring an employee to do the housework and taking the dog for a walk.

Pompeo’s abuse reached the point of misusing taxpayer money

More than that, the exploitation reached the point where Pompeo misused taxpayers’ money to organize so-called “Madison Diners” dinners with politically linked allies and government affairs to further his political ambitions. The way Pompeo ran the dessert chain raised concern among ministry officials, especially since the money spent to cover it includes those from taxpayers and government resources, as well as the involvement of his wife, Susan, who was central in these holidays. These bonus costs are paid from the Department’s emergency fund and diplomatic and consular service appropriations, known as the “K Fund,” which can be used for “confidential requirements in the Department of Foreign Affairs, as well as other declared activities that promote the achievement of United States foreign policy objectives. ” according to the ministry’s website.
According to government officials, scrutiny of Pompeo’s story is leading to the knowledge that he prioritizes party politics. Therefore, the disregard for institutional boundaries was in keeping with his record. The day-to-day affairs of the State Department and its officials became embroiled in politics. Pompeo’s rape of Hatch was not limited to his appearance from occupied Jerusalem on the second day of the Republican National Convention last August, but also to his travels within the United States, such as heading to Kansas and Florida, where he was flirting. with an idea. Run to the Senate or Iowa, the main stop on the way to the White House.

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