Pompeo faces congressional inquiry over RNC speech during diplomatic trip

A senior Democrat on the House foreign affairs committee has launched an investigation into whether Mike Pompeo is breaking federal law by addressing the Republican national convention while on an official visit to Jerusalem.

The US secretary of state was due to address the convention on Tuesday evening, in a video recorded during the visit, prompting accusations that he is breaching state department rules marking a clear line between domestic politics and international diplomacy.

Announcing his investigation, Joaquin Castro said Pompeo’s appearance is “highly unusual and likely unprecedented” and “may also be illegal”.

“The Trump administration and Secretary Pompeo have shown a gross disregard not only of basic ethics, but also a blatant willingness to violate federal law for political gain,” Castro said.

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The Biden campaign’s deputy spokeswoman, Kate Bedingfield, said Pompeo had a record of “repeated and blatant use of his office for overtly political purposes”.

The campaign added Pompeo was seeking to turn Israel into a “political wedge issue” ahead of the November general election, adding that “the historic bipartisan support in Washington for Israel and her security should never be subordinated to politicization for personal gain”.

Secretaries of state regularly travel abroad on behalf of a US administration’s agenda and in the process blending political and national interest, but Pompeo’s speech to a party convention from foreign soil is unusual – even for a convention that is largely taking place on the internet.

Pompeo’s staff said four teams of lawyers, including the state department legal counsel, had reviewed the speech to ensure that it does not cross ethical lines.

Critics say Pompeo is violating the spirit – if not the letter – of the Hatch Act, which bans government workers from speaking out on political campaign issues. Similar accusations have repeatedly been leveled against other figures close to Donald Trump, including his adviser Kellyanne Conway, and his daughter and adviser Ivanka.

Pompeo has claimed he will address the convention in his personal time, but Russo argued that the speech will come while he is on an official visit – and that taxpayer’s money flew him to the Middle East.

The main target audience in the Pompeo address is said to be evangelical Christians, a key Trump constituency.

“Looking forward to sharing with you how my family is more SAFE and more SECURE because of President Trump,” Pompeo wrote on Twitter. “See you all on Tuesday night!” He ended the post with a US flag emoji.

The address was recorded from a rooftop in Jerusalem during Pompeo’s visit to hail the historic normalisation of relation between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. The deal is arguably the singular achievement of Trump’s often wayward foreign policy, but no other Arab state has yet followed the UAE example.

The episode also underlines the degree to which the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is invested in a Republican victory – as are some leading Gulf states. Biden has made no secret that should he win the election, the US approach to Saudi Arabia will change – especially the war in Yemen. The Democrat insists he is a strong supporter of Israel.

Senator Cory Booker – a Democratic member of the Senate foreign relations committee – argued that Pompeo’s speech violated his own policy, as laid out in recent instructions sent to state department employees.

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A similar message to US diplomats is sent every election year, reminding them them of restrictions on political activity under the Hatch Act.

“The department works to advance the national interest abroad on behalf of all Americans in a non-partisan fashion,” said a 24 July cable to all diplomatic and consular posts which was sent over Pompeo’s signature.

“It is important to remember that in order to avoid any confusion or misperception in this regard, the department’s longstanding policy is that US citizen employees and family members may not engage in partisan political activity while posted or on TDY [Temporary Duty] abroad, even on personal time, the cable said.