Pompeo's Legal Troubles: Did He Break The Law?

Mike Pompeo, a retired American politician, has been accused of breaking the law on several occasions. One notable instance was in 2020 when Pompeo, then serving as Secretary of State under the Trump administration, was accused of violating the Hatch Act by giving a speech at the Republican National Convention. The Hatch Act is a federal law that prevents presidential cabinet members from engaging in overtly political issues. Pompeo's speech, delivered during an official diplomatic visit to Jerusalem, was seen as a breach of precedent and sparked an investigation by the House Foreign Affairs Committee's Oversight Subcommittee.

Additionally, Pompeo faced scrutiny for his role in bypassing congressional oversight and fast-tracking arms sales to Saudi Arabia. This led to an investigation by the State Department Inspector General, Steve Linick, who was abruptly fired while the investigation was ongoing. Despite the controversy, a final report from the State Department concluded that Pompeo's actions did not break the law.

Pompeo has also been criticized for his handling of various other issues, including his involvement in the Trump administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, his stance on Israeli settlements, and his role in the impeachment inquiry against Trump.

Pompeo's involvement in Trump's overturning of the 2020 election

Mike Pompeo, a former critic of Donald Trump, became one of his staunchest supporters after he became the Republican nominee in the 2016 presidential election. Pompeo was appointed by Trump as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in 2017 and as the secretary of state in 2018.

Pompeo was among the staunchest Trump loyalists in the Cabinet and routinely flouted State Department norms in aid of Trump's objectives, including supporting his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

On November 10, 2020, when asked about the transition to the Biden administration, Pompeo responded:

> "There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration, all right. We're ready. The world is watching what's taking place here. We're gonna count all the votes. When the process is complete, they'll be electors selected."

Pompeo's remarks implying that Trump might yet be re-elected were striking, as they came at a tense moment when Trump refused to concede to President-elect Joe Biden. Pompeo, America's top diplomat and fourth-in-line for the presidency, made these comments even as world leaders had already started congratulating Biden on his victory.

Pompeo also dismissed as "ridiculous" the suggestion that Trump's evidence-free claims of fraud could hurt America's credibility when weighing in on foreign elections. He further stated:

> "The world should have every confidence that the transition necessary to make sure that the State Department is functional today, successful today, and successful with the president who's in office on January 20th, a minute after noon, will also be successful."

Pompeo's comments were criticized by Democratic members of Congress, including the outgoing chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot Engel, who stated that Pompeo "shouldn't play along with baseless and dangerous attacks on the legitimacy of last week's election." Engel further added that the State Department should start preparing for President-elect Biden's transition.

Pompeo's role in the firing of State Department inspector general Steve Linick

Mike Pompeo, the former US Secretary of State, played a direct role in the firing of State Department inspector general Steve Linick. Linick was appointed by former President Barack Obama to oversee spending and detect mismanagement at the State Department.

In May 2020, President Donald Trump fired Linick at Pompeo's recommendation. Pompeo defended his push, saying he "should have done it some time ago". He refused to explain his reasoning, saying he would "share with the appropriate people". He also denied that he sought to fire Linick in retaliation for the latter's probes.

Linick had been investigating Pompeo for suspected abuse of office. This included allegations that Pompeo had improperly used staff for personal tasks, such as picking up dry cleaning and walking his dog. He was also looking into whether Pompeo broke rules when he declared an emergency that allowed the administration to fast-track an $8 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for their war in Yemen, over congressional objections.

The firing was scrutinized by Congress, and in June 2020, Linick testified that Brian Bulatao, a senior State Department appointee and Pompeo ally, attempted to "bully" and improperly pressure him into halting the investigation. A subsequent report by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that Pompeo did not violate any procedures in declaring the "emergency" but determined that the State Department had failed to fully consider the humanitarian impact of the arms sale.

Linick's firing added to congressional concerns that the Trump administration acted to protect the arms sales.

Pompeo's violation of the Hatch Act

Mike Pompeo, the former US Secretary of State, was accused of violating the Hatch Act during his speech at the 2020 Republican National Convention. The Hatch Act is a federal law that prevents members of the presidential cabinet from engaging in overtly political issues. It draws boundaries between taxpayer-funded top-level government jobs and political campaigns.

Pompeo's speech, delivered from Jerusalem, was the first time in American history that a sitting secretary of state had addressed a political convention. Pompeo changed State Department policy to allow himself to deliver the speech, specifying that the change was a special exception that applied only to him. The speech was investigated by the House Foreign Affairs Committee's Oversight Subcommittee, which examined whether it constituted a violation of the Hatch Act.

In November 2021, the Office of Special Counsel concluded that Pompeo was one of at least 13 senior Trump administration officials who violated the Hatch Act. The report found that Pompeo had been aware of the Hatch Act's restrictions before giving the speech and had ignored advice from State Department personnel on how to comply with the law.

Pompeo's involvement in the sale of tank ammunition to Israel

Mike Pompeo, the former US Secretary of State, was involved in an "emergency" arms sale to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan in May 2019. The deal, worth $8.1 billion, was controversial due to the Saudi- and UAE-led war in Yemen, and it bypassed the usual congressional review process. Pompeo was heavily criticized for the move, with some believing it may have violated the law as many of the weapons were yet to be built and could not be delivered urgently. However, an internal investigation cleared him of any wrongdoing.

In December 2023, the Biden administration approved the emergency sale of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition worth over $106 million to Israel as it intensified its military operations in the southern Gaza Strip. This sale bypassed Congress, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken determined that an emergency existed, requiring the immediate sale of munitions in the US national security interest. The deal faced resistance from some Democratic lawmakers, who wanted to make American assistance contingent on Israel taking concrete steps to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza during the war with Hamas.

Pompeo's actions in facilitating arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates sparked controversy and raised questions about the potential violation of laws. However, his involvement in the sale of tank ammunition to Israel as part of the broader US-Israel relationship has not garnered similar levels of criticism or scrutiny.

Pompeo's role in the Trump administration's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal

Mike Pompeo, the former Secretary of State under the Trump administration, was a vocal advocate for the US's withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.

In 2017, Pompeo worked to undermine the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal with Iran, which had been negotiated by the Obama administration. He said:

> "I look forward to rolling back this disastrous deal with the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism...A better option than negotiating with Iran would be to use under 2,000 sorties to destroy the Iranian nuclear capacity. This is not an insurmountable task for the coalition forces."

On May 8, 2018, President Trump announced the US's withdrawal from the JCPOA, stating that it "failed to protect America's national security interests". The Trump administration also re-imposed sanctions on Iran, targeting critical sectors of its economy, such as energy, petrochemical, and financial sectors.

Pompeo's stated justification for ending remaining waivers for civil nuclear cooperation with Tehran was labelled by critics as being "more public relations than reality". They argued that ending the waivers would make the world less safe, and that the only purpose was to kill the 2015 Iran nuclear deal before President Trump's term ended.

In May 2020, Pompeo handed Tehran an excuse to resume nuclear activities by cutting off Iran's supply of 19.75% enriched fuel, a near-term problem. This move was seen as an attempt to goad Iran into taking further provocative steps that could lead to snapback UN sanctions.

Overall, Pompeo played a significant role in the Trump administration's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, and his actions were seen as contributing to increased tensions and instability in the region.

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