Mike Pompeo

Mike Pompeo is the current Director of the CIA and will replace Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State at the end of March.

Born in California, Pompeo attended Westpoint and Harvard Law School. Between Westpoint and graduate school, Pompeo was a cavalry officer in the Army. In the 2010 House of Representatives elections, Pompeo ran for the 4th District seat in Kansas. He secured this seat and held it through 2016 until Trump nominated him to lead the CIA.

In the Know

Pompeo is a through-and-through Republican. He is a lifelong member of the NRA (who have endorsed him), opposed the ACA, does not believe in climate change, and was a member of the Tea Party movement. Pompeo has thus far been a somewhat controversial head of the CIA. Traditionally a nonpartisan agency, Pompeo has been accused of politicizing his role due to his close relationship to Trump. It’s important to note as well that the CIA is one of the agencies tasked with investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. Having a Director beholden to Trump is therefore especially dangerous under current circumstances. Pompeo ultimately did say he agreed with the findings made by intelligence agencies regarding Russian interference, but has continued to leave open the possibility of other theories. It’s perhaps most important to note that executive orders prohibit the CIA from passing information to the White House “for the purpose of affecting the political process in the U.S.” If Pompeo becomes S.O.S., however, he could then tell Trump what he learned regarding the Russia investigation during his time with the CIA.

2017 Headlines

With escalating talk of Trump’s dissatisfaction with Tillerson’s performance as Secretary of State grew speculation that Trump would replace him with Pompeo. The idea supposedly came from Trump’s chief of staff, John Kelly, and is expected to take place in the next few weeks. Whether Trump will oust Tillerson or convince him to bow out remains to be seen. The replacement with Pompeo would leave Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) in charge of the CIA. Cotton is also a strong Trump supporter, particularly when it comes to national security and Trump’s more controversial policies (Muslim ban, wall, etc.).

Fun Fact

Koch Industries, the multinational conglomerate supporting and funding the GOP agenda, is based in Pompeo's House district in Kansas.