Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was blasted for an unethical and potentially illegal decision to address the Republican National Committee Convention.
"While he is overseas on an official trip, Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo will address the Republican National Convention in his "personal" capacity, the State Department said Sunday, blurring the lines between the two in an unprecedented -- and critics say inappropriate -- way," ABC News reported. "Slated for Tuesday evening, his speech has already sparked a wave of backlash, with critiques that the top U.S. diplomat is supposed to represent all Americans and not play a role in party politics and that the speech violates department protocol, if not U.S. law."
Ambassador Nicholas Burns blasted Pompeo's decision on Twitter.
A paper trail was revealed by House Foreign Affairs Chair Elliot Engel (D-NY), who released two internal State Department documents stating that Pompeo should not be speaking at the covention.
Foreign policy Prof. Daniel Drezner also offered his thoughts on the scandal, which revealed the depths of the outrage over Pompeo's decision.