HumblePi
DP Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2018
- Messages
- 26,721
- Reaction score
- 19,415
- Gender
- Undisclosed
- Political Leaning
- Liberal
[h=1]Pompeo Under House Investigation For Israel-Based RNC Speech Over Ethics Concerns[/h]The Democrat-led House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday announced a probe into a pre-recorded speech by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to the Republican National Convention amid cries from Trump critics that it’s a grievous ethics violation.
[h=2]KEY FACTS[/h] Pompeo is currently touring the Middle East to promote ties with Israel and is scheduled to address the convention in a speech pre-taped from an “undisclosed location” in Jerusalem, according to the New York Timesand Axios.
The news was met with scathing criticism from ethics experts, who say it represents a clear violation of the Hatch Act, which forbids federal employees from performing political tasks in their official capacities.
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Tex.), the vice chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called the speech “highly unusual and likely unprecedented” and argued it “may also be illegal,” in a letter to Pompeo’s deputy Stephen Biegun.
The letter cited guidance circulated by the State Department in July telling employees not to “improperly engage the Department of State in the political process,” though the State Department has said Pompeo will be speaking in his “personal capacity,” and that State Department staff are not involved and the department will not bear costs for the speech.
The letter also cites a “long-standing policy” by the State Department of “limiting participation in partisan campaigns,” including attending a “political party convention or convention-related event,” and calls Pompeo’s RNC speech an “incontrovertible” violation.
Castro is requesting records from the State Department’s legal advisor regarding political activities by appointees like Pompeo as well as a list of expenditures from Pompeo’s Middle East trip, including “receipts demonstrating that any expenses incurred by the State Department were reimbursed by the RNC.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrew...rnc-speech-over-ethics-concerns/#809c59779e70
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't know how many times the Trump administration has blurred the lines but it seems it's becoming more frequent and more blatant. The republicans don't even care anymore about the Hatch Act or any other accepted rules of behavior.
[h=2]KEY FACTS[/h] Pompeo is currently touring the Middle East to promote ties with Israel and is scheduled to address the convention in a speech pre-taped from an “undisclosed location” in Jerusalem, according to the New York Timesand Axios.
The news was met with scathing criticism from ethics experts, who say it represents a clear violation of the Hatch Act, which forbids federal employees from performing political tasks in their official capacities.
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Tex.), the vice chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called the speech “highly unusual and likely unprecedented” and argued it “may also be illegal,” in a letter to Pompeo’s deputy Stephen Biegun.
The letter cited guidance circulated by the State Department in July telling employees not to “improperly engage the Department of State in the political process,” though the State Department has said Pompeo will be speaking in his “personal capacity,” and that State Department staff are not involved and the department will not bear costs for the speech.
The letter also cites a “long-standing policy” by the State Department of “limiting participation in partisan campaigns,” including attending a “political party convention or convention-related event,” and calls Pompeo’s RNC speech an “incontrovertible” violation.
Castro is requesting records from the State Department’s legal advisor regarding political activities by appointees like Pompeo as well as a list of expenditures from Pompeo’s Middle East trip, including “receipts demonstrating that any expenses incurred by the State Department were reimbursed by the RNC.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrew...rnc-speech-over-ethics-concerns/#809c59779e70
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't know how many times the Trump administration has blurred the lines but it seems it's becoming more frequent and more blatant. The republicans don't even care anymore about the Hatch Act or any other accepted rules of behavior.
