The legal memos, obtained by POLITICO, include an instruction that states: “First-time confirmed presidential candidates may not even attend a convention of political parties or congress-related events.” That sentence is one of the few that gets fat in the memo.
Pompeo is a President-elect of the House of Representatives, and the rules do not seem to be an exception for him. The rules also do not seem to say that such appointments can attend a convention in their personal capacity.
In the email, Biegun actually remarks, “In my case, as a First Chamber official confirmed, I will be on the side of the political process this year, and will not attend any political events, around the national conventions. ”
In addition, the rules seem to be stricter for U.S. diplomats outside the United States than those on U.S. soil.
If they are in the United States, the legal memo says, political nominees “other than a Senate-confirmed presidential candidate” are allowed to attend outside of work “a partisan political rally, fundraising function, election party, meet-the-candidate event, as another political gathering as a spectator. ”
Also allowed outside of work only as in the United States: “Attending a political party convention or convention-related event as a spectator, if you are a political nominee other than a Senate-confirmed presidential candidate.”
Not only is Pompeo a Senate-confirmed nominee, his performance will take place Tuesday night while he travels to the Middle East.
The State Department did not respond Monday or Tuesday to POLITICO’s requests for comment on this issue.
But unnamed department officials have told other news organizations, such as McClatchy, that several legal teams have signed on to Pompeo’s appearance, and that the secretary will act in his personal capacity without the help or resources of the State Department.
One potential break could be how lawyers define the word “attend”.
CNN, quoting an unnamed source, said Pompeo’s appearance would be “pre-recorded” and delivered from a roof in Jerusalem. Whether that qualifies as attending the event could be up for debate.
Traditionally, Secretary of State in both Republican and Democratic administrations have sought to avoid comments as involved in partisan issues during her time at Foggy Bottom. The idea is that politics should be left behind so that Americans can speak with one voice to other countries.
But Pompeo has shoved the envelope on partisanship during his tenure. He has spoken at Republican-focused events such as the Summit Values Voter Summit and the Conservative Political Action Conference. He has also spoken with a number of Christian organizations about the role Christianity plays in his life, movements that have caused many American diplomats to worry about how this is perceived abroad.
Pompeo, a former GOP congressman from Kansas, is thought to be considering a future presidency. He has made an unusual number of trips to the United States, including to Kansas, where he flirted with the idea of running for the House of Representatives, and Iowa, a major stop on the presidential trail.
Pompeo has rejected criticism that he is politicizing his office, citing a report by the watchdog that clears him of wrongful violations of regulations governing the political activity of officials. Instead, he defended many of these events as a way to educate Americans about the work of the State Department, especially promoting such causes as religious freedom abroad.
The Secretary of State’s appearance at the Republican Convention also comes as he faces an ongoing investigation by the Inspector General into whether he and his wife, Susan, misused State Department’s personal resources. goals.
Pompeo’s successful move to engineer State Department Inspector General Steve Linick’s shots amid this still ongoing probe has led to more control over his role as secretary of Democratic lawmakers.
