The former secretary of state defended the tasks as small. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his wife Susan violated the federal government’s ethics rules by requesting staff carry out personal favors, according to the State Department inspector general’s office. The federal watchdog had been undertaking the investigation of the Pompeos for years, leading to fiery criticism of the agency from the former top U.S. diplomat and leading Republican politician. In an interview with the watchdog’s staff, he defended his and his wife’s actions as asking “small simple” tasks of a “friend,” a longtime aide who worked in the department and carried out most errands. The report, obtained by ABC News, documented over 100 instances of Mike or Susan Pompeo assigning that aide and other staffers personal errands, including booking dinner reservations or salon appointments, mailing personal Christmas cards, and purchasing things such as flowers or a t-shirt — some details that ABC News first reported in September. Federal ethics standards and the State Department’s own rules prohibit asking subordinates to conduct personal favors or use government resources for private gain, although the Pompeos don’t appear to have violated any laws. (…) Among the scores of incidents documented in the 26-page report, the OIG reported that Porter printed photos for Susan Pompeo to give as gifts, ordered flowers and a t-shirt for friends, planned personal events at their home, and arranged tours of the department and other Washington sites for politically-affiliated guests. Porter also provided care for the Pompeos’ dog, made salon appointments for Susan Pompeo, and help draft a medical school letter of recommendation. The most common task was making restaurant reservations, which happened on at least 30 occasions, and purchasing event tickets, the OIG said, but it’s unclear if that violated rules, given security concerns for the secretary of state. “Further legal guidance to employees is warranted as to whether performing such tasks are an appropriate use of official time,” the OIG said. It also requested a formal determination by the agency’s legal adviser’s office on the use of federal money to purchase gifts for the Pompeos friends. In two instances, Susan Pompeo had Porter buy gifts using department funds for dinner parties the Pompeos were attending — something that may further violate rules, the OIG said.
via abcnews: Pompeos violated federal ethics rules in assigning staff ‘personal’ errands, watchdog finds
Von Central Intelligence Agency – <a rel=”nofollow” class=”external free” href=”https://www.cia.gov/about-cia/leadership/mike-pompeo.html”>https://www.cia.gov/about-cia/leadership/mike-pompeo.html</a>, Gemeinfrei, Link