Pompeo faces backlash from lawmakers after ‘second Trump administration’ comment
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s suggestion Tuesday that President Donald Trump would transition to a second term in January faced swift backlash from congressional Democrats.
His comments came the same day that President-elect Joe Biden was on phone calls with European allies who recognize him as the winner of the presidential election, even as Trump refuses to concede.
Pompeo told reporters Tuesday with a grin that the “transition” to a second Trump term would be “smooth,” but later said the State Department was prepared for any eventuality after being asked if it would cooperate with Biden’s transition team.
Pompeo ignored results showing that Biden had won the election, and dismissed as “ridiculous” questions about whether the U.S. had lost credibility as a judge of other countries’ elections because of Trump’s unproven claims of fraud at the polls.
“There will be a smooth transition to second Trump administration, “ Pompeo said with a chuckle, before reverting to a more nuanced response. “We’re ready. The world is watching what’s taking place here. We’re going to count all the votes.”
Congressional Democrats didn’t share in Pompeo’s chuckle at the situation as Trump and many Republican lawmakers continue to refuse to recognize Biden’s status as president-elect.
“These are dangerous words,” tweeted New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and outspoken critic of Pompeo.
“We need a Secretary focused on restoring American leadership, rebuilding our diplomatic corps, & working on behalf of the safety and security of all Americans. No U.S. government official should joke about respecting our democratic process. Shameful.”
One of Pompeo’s main duties as secretary of state is promoting democracy abroad, including speaking out against regimes that do not adhere to free and fair elections.
Biden is on pace to win 306 electoral votes, above the threshold of 270 needed to secure the presidency. He also earned roughly 5 million more votes than Trump after a heated election with record turnout.
A State Department spokeswoman did not respond to a request for an explanation of how Trump would have a second administration based on the current vote totals.
Pompeo’s comments come as Trump’s campaign seeks to disqualify tens of thousands of votes in battleground states and the General Services Administration has refused to issue a letter recognizing Biden’s win, enabling the formal transition to begin.
Trump took notice of Pompeo’s comments, saying on Twitter Tuesday evening, “That’s why Mike was number one in his class at West Point!” The previous day Trump fired Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, a classmate of Pompeo’s at West Point in the 1980s.
Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Virginia Democrat and former CIA operations officer, called Pompeo’s comments “shocking, shameful, & dangerous.”
Pompeo, a former Wichita congressman, led the CIA for the first year of Trump’s administration before before becoming secretary of state in 2018.
“Our free & fair elections and our commitment to the peaceful transition of power have long been the foundation of our country’s strength and our example in the world, yet @SecPompeo is now seemingly denying the results of our elections,” Spanberger said on Twitter.
Pompeo is seen as a potential contender for the Republican nomination in 2024. As Trump has alleged fraud without evidence in recent days, other potential GOP contenders have sought to affirm their support for Trump’s baseless claims about the election.
A source close to Pompeo said in an email that the comment was an example of Pompeo’s wry humor.
“I think he was just trying to ‘trigger’ everyone in the room. But seems like he stepped back to ensure everyone understood the core message of the importance of a peaceful transition of power,” the Pompeo associate said.
But given the current national climate as election officials in Philadelphia, for example, face death threats for counting ballots in the face of Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of fraud, Pompeo’s comment was not viewed as lighthearted by Democrats.
“Secretary Pompeo shouldn’t play along with baseless and dangerous attacks on the legitimacy of last week’s election,” said Rep. Eliot Engel, the New York Democrat who chairs the House Foreign Relations Committee.
“In fact, all Administration officials should drop their false claims about electoral fraud and GSA should release the funding and support necessary for a smooth transition that protects our national security,” Engel said. “The State Department should now begin preparing for President-elect Biden’s transition.”
Biden spoke Tuesday with the leaders of France, Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
“When I’m speaking to foreign leaders, I’m telling them: America is going to be back. We’re going to be back in the game,” Biden said on Twitter Tuesday evening.
The conversations with the European allies covered trade, NATO, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Northern Irish peace process among other issues, according to readouts from Biden’s transition team.
“They discussed the close and longstanding relationship between our countries and committed to building on this partnership in the years ahead, in areas such as trade and security—including through NATO,” a spokesperson for the British government said of Biden’s call with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“The Prime Minister and President-elect also looked forward to working closely together on their shared priorities, from tackling climate change, to promoting democracy, and building back better from the coronavirus pandemic.”
During an interview on Fox News Tuesday evening, Pompeo again avoided recognizing Biden’s status as president-elect.
“We’re reminding everyone that all the votes haven’t been counted. We need to make sure the legal process is fully complied with, and then America will do what it does best. We will have a leader in the White House at noon on January 20, and we will continue to execute American foreign policy,” said Pompeo, who was announced as Trump’s choice for CIA director in November of 2016 just 10 days after the 2016 election as part of the normal transition process.
Asked about Biden’s conversations with foreign leaders, Pompeo replied, “ If they’re just saying hi, I suppose that’s not too terribly difficult. But make no mistake about it. We have one president, one secretary of state, one national security team at a time.”
The Associated Press and Michael Wilner contributed to this report.
This story was originally published November 10, 2020 at 3:01 PM.
