Pompeo’s address to the convention from Jerusalem, the first stop on a four-day State Department trip to the Middle East, also sparked concerns that U.S. taxpayers may be footing the portion of the travel bill dedicated to his commentary.
The State Department had previously said that America’s top diplomat would address the convention in “his personal capacity.” It also said that no resources from the State Department would be used.
That distinction struck ethics watchdogs and foreign policy experts as dubious.
“The State Department represents the United States abroad to our allies and into our adversaries, not simply the interests of one political party or another,” said Donald Sherman, deputy director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
“And that’s why, sitting secretaries of State don’t usually speak at political conventions, especially participating while holding government business.”
Kori Schake, director of foreign and defense policy studies at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, described Pompeo’s decision to speak at the convention as “shocking” and “completely inappropriate.”
“It drags foreign countries into American domestic politics in a way that’s not good for those countries sustaining bipartisan support in the American Congress,” said Schake, a career civil servant with a bipartisan background and stints at the Departments of Defense, State and National Security Council at the White House.
“It also suggests that American foreign policy is driven solely by electoral concerns as the precedent, rather than by enduring American interests that have bipartisan support.”
Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/02/pompeo-defends-decision-to-speak-at-rnc.html