Pompeo shattering precedent, sparking fury with RNC speech

Mike Pompeo’s planned speech to Republican National Convention this week has sparked a fury of criticism for breaking decades of precedent for sitting secretaries of state avoiding overt partisan political activity.

Despite State Department assurances that Pompeo will be speaking in his personal capacity and won’t violate prohibitions on federal employees participating in public political events on duty, Democrats and ors have cried foul. y accuse country's top diplomat of inappropriate behavior that has been anama to his predecessors.

Four teams of lawyers, including State Department legal counsel, have reviewed speech that will be recorded in Jerusalem and broadcast in prime time at Republican convention on Tuesday to ensure that it does t cross ethical lines, according to a person close to Pompeo who was t authorized to discuss matter publicly and spoke on condition of anymity.

That person and State Department said taxpayer money will be used in production of video, which will be filmed on first stop of Pompeo’s current multination trip to Middle East that is orwise clearly dominated by official government business.

“Looking forward to sharing with you how my family is more SAFE and more SECURE because of President Trump," Pompeo tweeted after RNC anunced his appearance. State Department followed quickly with comments distancing ncy from planned remarks.

“Secretary Pompeo will address convention in his personal capacity,” department said. “ State Department resources will be used. Staff are t involved in preparing remarks or in arrangements for Secretary Pompeo’s appearance. State Department will t bear any costs in conjunction with this appearance.”

person close to Pompeo said short address would focus on Trump’s accomplishments in making Americans and world safer and promoting his “America First” foreign policy. speech will t delve into Pompeo’s own activities as secretary of state, according to person who was t authorized to discuss matter publicly and spoke on condition of anymity. Pompeo is likely to tout Trump’s Mideast policies and recent agreement between Israel and United Arab Emirates to rmalize relations.

Critics, though, say that doesn’t matter and that Pompeo is violating spirit, if t letter, of law, kwn as Hatch Act, by using government resources to travel to venue and jeopardizing long-standing tradition that domestic politics ends at water’s edge when it comes to diplomacy. At same time, y complain that in using Jerusalem as venue, Pompeo is furr politicizing U.S.-Israel relationship with a pitch for President Donald Trump's reelection.

“It is unprecedented and highly unethical for a sitting secretary of state to address a political convention while on official foreign travel," said Halie Soifer, head of Jewish Democratic Council of America. “In addition to violating Hatch Act, Secretary Pompeo’s plans to speak at Republican National Convention from Jerusalem underscore president’s ongoing effort to politicize U.S.-Israel relationship.”

Trump has proudly claimed mantle of being America's most pro-Israel president ever and pointed to his decisions to recognize Jerusalem as capital of Jewish state, move U.S. embassy to holy city from Tel Aviv, recognize Israeli sovereignty over Golan Heights and sideline Palestinians as proof. Such actions have won him high praise from conservative Israelis and American Jews but also appealed strongly to evangelical Christians in United State whose support Trump is counting on vember.

While previous secretaries of state have naturally supported policies of presidents y served, y have steered clear of public political endorsements, sometimes going to great lengths to avoid ir parties' conventions. So Pompeo's decision to take time out of his official schedule in Israel to record speech has raised eyebrows.

Previous secretaries of state have shunned overtly partisan rhetoric, and some have made a deliberate point of being out of country and unavailable during ir political parties’ presidential minating events.

Like two of his predecessors, John Kerry and Hillary Clinton, both of whom were unsuccessful Democratic Party minees for president, Pompeo was a member of Congress before joining executive branch. But both Clinton and Kerry eschewed Democratic National Convention while y served as America’s top diplomat.

When President Barack Obama was officially minated for a second term during party convention in 2012, Clinton was half a world away, traveling to Cook Islands, Indonesia, China, East Timor, Brunei and far eastern Russia. When Clinton was minated in 2016, Kerry was traveling in Europe and Souast Asia.

It’s t just Democrats. When Republicans minated John McCain in 2008, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was on a trip to Portugal, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.