The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been steadily cementing his position for the 2024 presidential run, according to political observers. The belief was especially strengthened after he gave a speech before the Wisconsin State Legislature on Wednesday, breaking away from the non-partisan nature of his post.
The Wisconsin speech was not the first time when Pompeo took a partisan stand and came in support of President Donald Trump. The secretary of state's participation in recent events has been viewed as political. He appeared at Value Voters Summit on Tuesday, over the weekend he spoke at a Baptist church in Plano, Texas, warning Americans to not allow "anybody try and rewrite history;" and he even made an appearance at the Republican National Convention in August from Jerusalem, where he was on an official visit.
Pompeo to Run for President?
"Delivering on this duty to keep us safe and our freedoms intact, this president has led bold initiatives in nearly every corner of the world. In China, he's pulled back the curtain on the predatory aggression of the Chinese Communist Party. The president has held China accountable for covering up the China virus and allowing it to spread death and economic destruction in America and around the world," he said at the time.
Pompeo's RNC speech drew criticism from the State Department officials and Democrats, who accused him of violating the Hatch Act, a provision that prohibits civil service employees from engaging in political activities. However, according to his team, he consulted with four sets of lawyers to ensure his appearance was legal.
"Even if he's not violating the Hatch Act, Pompeo is doing things that look sketchy as hell," Nick Schwellenbach, a senior investigator at the Project on Government Oversight said as reported by BloombergQuint. "It's not just one-off here or there. It's a pattern."
In July, Pompeo made his stance clear on China when he made a speech in Iowa, leading political observers to believe that he set the stage for his potential 2024 presidential bid. The tone of his speech was conservative and he came down heavily on the Chinese government's "hegemony." Trump's anti-China stand has also gained support from his followers and it is likely that Pompeo will take this tone further.
However, Pompeo's potential 2024 presidential bid will be possible only if Trump is re-elected in the upcoming elections. If Democratic Joe Biden wins the 2020 elections, it is not unlikely that Trump will not eye for another presidential run in 2024 putting a dampener for Pompeo's hopes.
