RNC speakers: What to know about Mike Pompeo
Pompeo will be speaking from Jerusalem
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to speak at the Republican National Convention (RNC) this week to throw his support behind President Trump.
Pompeo, who has been on an official trip in Israel, will speak to the RNC remotely from an “undisclosed location,” officials confirmed Sunday.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Jerusalem on Monday. (Debbie Hill/Pool via AP)
Pompeo’s inclusion in the RNC has stirred controversy for breaking with decades of precedent in which the nation’s top diplomat has avoided engaging with the political process.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Looking forward to sharing with you how my family is more SAFE and more SECURE because of President Trump,” Pompeo tweeted Sunday. “See you all on Tuesday night!”
The State Department said Pompeo would be speaking in a personal capacity and would not violate prohibitions on federal employees participating in public political events. Democrats have seized on a copy of Pompeo’s planned speech, which they said cast doubts on the State Department’s claims.
A former U.S. Army officer, Pompeo was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Kansas’ 4th District, between 2011 and 2017.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}US FORMALLY MOVES TO RESTORE UN SANCTIONS ON IRAN, AS POMPEO PROMISES 'AMERICA WILL NOT APPEASE'
In November 2017, Trump tapped Pompeo to lead the CIA. Trump then nominated him in March 2018 to succeed Rex Tillerson as secretary of state.
Trump, who was said to spar with Tillerson at times, has praised Pompeo’s tenure, telling reporters that they “are almost always on the same wavelength” regarding foreign policy.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pompeo was a major critic of the Iran nuclear deal brokered under the Obama administration. After he took over the CIA, Pompeo tweeted: “I look forward to rolling back this disastrous deal with the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.”
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Both Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have criticized the lack of international support for the U.S.’ demand for the restoration of U.N. sanctions against Iran.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report.