Pompeo’s planned speech draws fire
WASHINGTON — Mike Pompeo’s planned speech to the 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 others have cried foul. They accuse the country’s top diplomat of inappropriate behavior that has been anathema to his predecessors.
Four teams of lawyers, including the State Department legal counsel, have reviewed the speech that will be recorded in Jerusalem and broadcast in prime time at the Republican convention Tuesday to ensure it does not cross ethical lines, according to a person close to Pompeo who spoke on condition of anonymity.
RNC arrests: Several protesters and a person who illegally entered a secure area before the start of the Republican National Convention in Charlotte,
North Carolina, have been arrested, convention officials and police said Monday.
RNC security officials said in a tweet that the person was arrested after entering the security perimeter outside the Charlotte Convention Center, where the convention is being held. They said the person didn’t enter an area where delegates were present or disrupt any events. They did not say when the transgression happened, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg police didn’t respond to an email seeking additional information, including what charges the person is facing.
Tuesday: Featured speakers include Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Eric and Tiffany Trump, Pompeo and first lady Melania Trump.