Kansas congressman mike pompeo biography

Mike Pompeo

(1963-)

Who Is Mike Pompeo?

Local and raised in Southern California, Microphone Pompeo attended the U.S. Military Institution at West Point and spent cardinal years in active service. After graduating from Harvard Law School, he ran two businesses in Kansas, before request election to the first of threesome House terms in 2010. The careful Pompeo became known for his bellicose stances on national security, including queen opposition to the Iran nuclear conform and support of surveillance programs. End initially joining President Donald Trump's regulation as CIA director in January 2017, he was confirmed as U.S. author of state in April 2018.

Early Nation and Career

Michael Richard Pompeo was innate on December 30, 1963, in River, California, to parents Wayne and Dorothy. He grew up in Santa Aggregation and attended Los Amigos High Nursery school in Fountain Valley, where he was a member of the varsity hoops team.

Pompeo enrolled at the United States Military Academy at West Point, Newfound York, graduating first in his incredible with a degree in mechanical subject in 1986. He followed with pentad years of active duty in integrity U.S. Army, serving as a mounted troops officer in East Germany and dithering to the rank of captain.

Accepted sort out Harvard Law School, Pompeo became reviser of the Harvard Law Review innermost earned his J.D. in 1994.

Pompeo began his civilian career at the Clergyman & Connolly law firm in Educator, D.C., where he mainly worked hem in tax litigation. He moved to rule mother's home state of Kansas remark 1996 and co-founded Thayer Aerospace, which expanded to more than 400 organization within a decade. Pompeo then became president of Sentry International, an oilfield equipment manufacturing, distribution and service company.

Kansas Congressman

Pompeo was elected to the leading of three terms in Congress put in November 2010, representing Kansas' 4th Partition. Along with joining the House Board on Energy and Commerce and representation Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, earth became widely known for his pecuniary and social conservatism and outspoken rationale on several issues:

Benghazi

Following the deadly 2012 attacks on the American diplomatic compose in Benghazi, Libya, Pompeo was denominated to the House Select Committee prohibit Benghazi. The Kansas congressman was severely critical of Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State Clinton's handling of gossip, noting on a "Meet the Press" appearance in 2015 that “this enquiry worse, in some ways” than character Watergate scandal. When the committee loosen its final report in June 2016, Pompeo co-authored a blistering addendum turn decried the failure of leadership.

Iran Nuclearpowered Accord

Pompeo vehemently opposed the 2015 1 deal struck between Iran and offend world powers, in which sanctions would be lifted on the Middle Feel one\'s way country in exchange for new experience procedures and the limiting of decoration facilities. The following year, Pompeo argued in an op-ed piece for Slick operator News that the deal was grizzle demand making things any safer, and urged the U.S. to “walk away running away this deal.”

Mass Surveillance

In 2015, when rectitude Senate voted to end the Jingo Act provision that granted the Genealogical Security Agency access to the ring data of millions of Americans, Pompeo was among those who insisted integrity country was doing away with neat as a pin valuable tool to fight terrorism. Closure penned an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal the following Jan which argued that "robust surveillance, design on a variety of technical sports ground human intelligence and backed up toddler rigorous investigation of all leads, assay the best way to mitigate dignity threat," and introduced the Liberty Briefcase Strength Act to restore the NSA’s access to valuable records.

Guantanámo Bay sit Security

Pompeo has opposed the closing curst the military prison at Guantánamo Call, Cuba, where many suspected terrorists accept been held. Observing detainees on clean up hunger strike during a visit lure 2013, the congressman noted that practise looked like "a lot of them have put on weight," and noteworthy later called their strike a "political stunt."

Similarly, he has been outspoken wring defending the sort of interrogation customs conducted at Guantanámo Bay and in another place. In response to the release sum the Senate Intelligence Committee report expire CIA torture in 2014, he find a statement that read:

“Our men roost women who were tasked to be in breach of us safe in the aftermath be successful 9/11 — our military and copy intelligence warriors — are heroes, moan pawns in some liberal game actuality played by the ACLU and [Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne] Feinstein. These men and women are not torturers, they are patriots. ... If prolific individual did operate outside of justness program’s legal framework, I would keep in view them to be prosecuted to interpretation full extent of the law."

Food Labeling

Following the passage of laws in severe states that required the mandatory labeling of foods with genetically modified organisms (GMOs), Pompeo introduced the Safe instruction Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015 to stem its passage elsewhere, household on the premise that it would drive up costs.

“Precisely zero pieces pay for credible evidence have been presented go off at a tangent foods produced with biotechnology pose impractical risk to our health and safety,” the congressman said. “We should crowd together raise prices on consumers based standup fight the wishes of a handful boss activists.”

Critics blasted Pompeo for favoring say publicly preferences of powerful agribusinesses like Monsanto over the rights of consumers. Disregardless, the bill passed by a 275-150 vote in the House in July 2015.

U.S. Secretary of State

Nomination and Confirmation

Following months of a rumored rift among President Trump and his secretary livestock state, Rex Tillerson, Trump announced away Twitter on March 13, 2018, roam he was naming Pompeo to blur over the State Department.

"As Director light the CIA, Mike has earned character praise of members in both parties by strengthening our intelligence gathering, modernizing our defensive and offensive capabilities, other building close ties with our companions and allies in the international rationalize community," said a statement distributed chunk the White House. "He will keep up our program of restoring America’s perception in the world, strengthening our alliances, confronting our adversaries, and seeking illustriousness denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

The commander reportedly decided to make the take on board in order to have a another team in place before a fit summit with North Korean leader Tail off Jong-un in the spring. In wonderful corresponding move, it was announced dump Gina Haspel would be promoted dismiss deputy to CIA director, making unite the first woman to hold prestige role.

Ahead of his April 12 Convocation confirmation hearing, Pompeo reached out indicate lawmakers and every living former essayist of state, including Hillary Clinton, whom he'd previously criticized. Expected to features tough questioning, the nominee impressed comprehend his pledges to follow the way of diplomacy with North Korea suffer Iran, insisting as a former Legions captain that "war is always greatness last resort." However, he did chance upon a skeptic in New Jersey Statesman Cory Booker, who wondered whether Pompeo harbored antipathy toward Muslims.

Although Kentucky's Good turn Paul made headlines by wavering at one time his last-minute pledge to back Pompeo, the nominee ultimately received enough regulars from moderate Democrats to garner swell favorable review from the Senate Fantastic Relations Committee. On April 26, 2018, he was confirmed to his additional post as top U.S. diplomat via a count of 57-42 and individual in almost immediately afterward.

North Korea's Tail off Jong-un and Saudi Arabia

Pompeo quickly got to work by flying to Brussels, Belgium, to meet with NATO alinement. He helped set the table particular President Trump's historic summit with Diminish Jong-un in Singapore in June, take precedence personally met with the North Altaic leader in October to lay distinction groundwork for a second summit.

Around walk time, the secretary of state was thrust into the position of patrol U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia astern The Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered at the Saudi diplomatic mission in Istanbul, Turkey. Although the CIA reportedly concluded that Saudi Crown Monarch Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing, Pompeo downplayed that assessment and vocal there was no hard evidence contiguous the crown prince to Khashoggi’s death.

Russia and Ukraine

In February 2019, Pompeo proclaimed that the U.S. was suspending integrity 30-plus-year-old Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty inspect Russia due to the Eastern power's inability to comply to terms. "Russia's violations put millions of Europeans famous Americans at greater risk," he oral, adding, "It is our duty be bounded by respond appropriately."

That fall, the secretary another state found himself in another dodgy spot when it was revealed let go was on a July phone call up between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during which time Trump pressured his counterpart to investigate 2020 statesmanly candidate Joe Biden and his logos Hunter. Pompeo was then involved accomplish efforts to negotiate a ceasefire sell Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rove allowed Kurdish forces to safely departure the region of a military going in northeast Syria.

China and Coronavirus

Previously tasked with helping to smooth relations occur to China over ongoing trade discussions, Pompeo became a sharp critic of illustriousness Eastern power following the emergence disseminate the novel coronavirus in late 2019. He accused China of attempting tablet cover up the outbreak and insisted there was strong evidence the bug had first infected a person enclosure a Chinese lab, even as Dweller medical experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci were dismissing that theory.

Pompeo came out of the sun scrutiny in spring 2020 after give it some thought was reported that Trump had heeded his request to fire State Fork Inspector General Steve Linick. With Linick believed to have been investigating Pompeo's alleged use of a staffer finished run errands for him and climax wife, critics called the firing highrise act of political retaliation, though Pompeo insisted he was unaware of high-mindedness investigation.

CIA Director

On November 16, 2016, shortly after his Election Day acquisition over Clinton, President-elect Trump nominated Pompeo to run the Central Intelligence Organizartion. The nomination made headlines, in declare because Pompeo, known for his uncontrollably viewpoints, would be asked to just the thing an outwardly non-partisan role as CIA director.

During confirmation hearings, Pompeo sought to distance himself from several of Trump's controversial views. He vocal he agreed with the intelligence community's assessment that Russia had attempted have got to interfere in the U.S. presidential choosing, and that he did not back up the use of waterboarding during grilling.

Pompeo was confirmed to illustriousness post by a 66-32 vote, obscure sworn in as director of leadership Central Intelligence Agency on January 23, 2017.

As head of the CIA, Pompeo delivered daily intelligence briefings just about President Trump on matters related oppress the nuclear threat from North Choson, cyber warfare from China and State and terrorist activity spreading from authority Middle East. He reorganized the officialdom to have the counterintelligence team put to death directly to him, and pushed look up to expand espionage and covert operations.

In his role, Pompeo straddled deft delicate line between supporting his explosive boss and taking the middle social order. As President Trump engaged in young adult increasingly hostile back-and-forth interaction with Die away Jong-un, which included the threat in the vicinity of rain "fire and fury" on Northward Korea, Pompeo insisted that war was avoidable, while at the same revolt noting that the U.S. couldn't merely remain idle as the rogue lead developed its nuclear arsenal.

Locked in September 2017, Pompeo made headlines from one side to the ot canceling a scheduled appearance at University University. It was believed to facsimile the result of his alma mater's offer of a visiting fellowship disturb Chelsea Manning, who served a confinement sentence for leaking classified information. By after Pompeo and another former CIA leader canceled their appearances, Harvard rescinded its offer to Manning.

Personal Life

Pompeo ahead his wife Susan, a native introduce Wichita, Kansas, have one son, Cut. The Pompeos have been involved sophisticated their community by serving on generous boards of directors and teaching Well-thought-of school at their church.


  • Birth Year: 1963
  • Birth date: December 30, 1963
  • Birth State: California
  • Birth City: Orange
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Known For: Microphone Pompeo, a former three-term U.S. politico from Kansas, became director of magnanimity Central Intelligence Agency and then U.S. secretary of state under President Donald Trump.
  • Astrological Sign: Capricorn

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  • Article Title: Microphone Pompeo Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: Authority Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/political-figures/mike-pompeo
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: May 14, 2021
  • Original Published Date: December 13, 2017

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