News

State Dept. Inspector General Says Mike Pompeo Violated Ethics Rules, Asked Employees To Do Personal Tasks

The Office of the Inspector General of the State Department released a report on  Saturday that determined former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo violated federal ethics rules while still in office. Pompeo and his wife Susan were found to have unethically asked State Department employees to carry out personal tasks.

By analyzing emails and other correspondences, as well as staff interviews, the Inspector General’s office found that both Mike and Susan Pompeo asked staff at various times to book salon appointments, private dinner reservations, pick up their dogs and arrange tours for political allies visiting Washington. The office found more than 100 violations in their report, but not all 100 have been determined by the office to constitute an ethics breach.

The report reads as nearly identical to one from the Department of Transportation’s Inspector General who found former Secretary Elaine Chao also used her staff to carry out personal tasks.

Pompeo told investigators that his requests never exceeded tasks friends would do for friends, and his lawyer, William Burck, has since called the report a biased “compilation of picayune complaints cherry-picked by the drafters.” The report from the Inspector General’s officer, however, determined that Pompeo’s numerous requests to staff eventually constituted a significant amount of time and money to the federal government.

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.

Brandon Mumei

Recent Posts

With World Cup Coming To U.S., FIFA Opens Office In Trump Tower, Sparking Ethics Debate

With many of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Club World Cup tournaments scheduled…

13 hours ago

GOP Sen. John Kennedy, 73, Freezes For 7 Seconds During Live TV Interview, Reigniting Debate Over Elderly Congressmen

During an interview with Fox Business on Tuesday, Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louisiana) froze during his…

14 hours ago

Trump Job Approval Drops To 38%, Lowest Level In Second Term Fueled By Economic Concerns

President Donald Trump’s approval rating has dropped to 38%, the lowest level in his second…

15 hours ago

Conservative Podcaster Candace Owens Says Trump Thinks His Supporters Are ‘Stupid’

Right-wing conservative Candace Owens accused President Donald Trump of thinking his voters are "stupid," amid…

17 hours ago

Trump Accuses Nemesis Sen. Adam Schiff Of Mortgage Fraud, Calling For His Arrest

President Donald Trump is calling for Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California) to be arrested for alleged…

17 hours ago

Rep. Mike Lawler Announces He Won’t Run For N.Y. Governor, Clearing Way For Trump Ally Rep. Elise Stefanik To Win GOP Nomination

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-New York) announced Wednesday he will not run for governor and will…

1 day ago