Dems Investigating Whether Pompeo Made Security Detail Pick Up His Large Adult Son and Get His Takeout

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as fourth in the line of succession to the president and head of the State Department, is often protected by members of Diplomatic Security. Now, Democrats are investigating whether Pompeo is playing a bit fast and loose with those taxpayer-funded security personnel after a whistleblower alleged he’s used the agents as “UberEats with guns.”

As CNN first reported on Monday, Democratic congressional investigators with a “key house committee” (Oversight maybe?) are looking into it:

In April, for example, an agent was asked to pick up Chinese food—without Pompeo in the car. The whistleblower said this led agents to complain that they are now serving as “UberEats with guns,” which has created a buzz within the department, according to multiple Democratic congressional aides who cited the whistleblower.

On another occasion, the whistleblower told aides, a Diplomatic Security special agent was given the job of picking up the Pompeo family dog from a groomer.

Chinese food, dog pickup, all definitely above board, professional stuff (which this administration loves to do). But even better, agents also apparently ferried around his large adult son:

And CNN has seen a document given to the committee aides by the whistleblower showing that in January, Diplomatic Security was asked by a person in Pompeo’s office to pick up his adult son from Union Station in Washington and bring him to the family home.

An adult son!! Picked up by Diplomatic Security! Incredible.

As a former Diplomatic Security official noted to CNN, Pompeo’s security detail shouldn’t extend to personal errands like picking up family members from the train station or getting his food, unless those activities are carry a specific threat. It’s not like the 24/7 Secret Service detail the president and his family receive.

CNN’s reporting makes it pretty clear that using the security detail for personal errands is a no-no. The last gem of the story is that Pompeo’s wife—who, even more unusually, also has a security detail even when she’s just at home in the U.S.—has a callsign. Which, well:

Furthermore, the whistleblower told aides that shortly after Susan Pompeo received her personal security detail, in July 2018, agents were verbally told not to use her callsign—which is “Shocker”—over the radios or publicly. The reason, according to one aide, citing the whistleblower, was that “they knew it wasn’t kosher.”

CNN has viewed an email from within the State Department confirming that she has an agent assigned to her, along with her callsign. The assistant secretary overseeing Diplomatic Security, Michael Evanoff, was included in the correspondence. The subject line says “Shocker Detail.”

[…]

One person familiar with the situation called it “the worst kept secret at State,” telling CNN, “[Secretary Pompeo] takes her on … trips, has separate meetings, requiring control officers, motor pool assets, security, and time. It was especially brazen during the shutdown when people were actually called into the embassy while furloughed. Just one more thing killing morale at the department.”

Shocker detail. Glad to see everything in this administration is proceeding smoothly and completely above board, and that nobody is taking liberties with their position.