Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s wife and son reportedly sent personal requests to department officials, according to hundreds of pages of emails obtained by NBC News.
The emails come as both Congress and the Office of Special Counsel oversee investigations into allegations of misuse of government resources by the secretary and his wife.
While emails previously obtained by McClatchy indicated that Mike Pompeo’s wife, Susan Pompeo, asked top State Department staffers to work the week of Christmas in order to finish their personal holiday cards, the new emails reportedly show additional cases when Susan Pompeo instructed staff to complete personal tasks.
The emails obtained by NBC also tie Mike Pompeo’s son, Nick Pompeo, to concerns that the family has repeatedly blurred the lines between official government matters and personal affairs.
NBC received the emails as part of a pending lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act, with the network requesting documents involving Susan Pompeo’s personal email account last November.
NBC reported Thursday that in one email written less than three months after Mike Pompeo’s swearing in, Nick Pompeo thanked State Department officials for giving him and his mother a private tour of the agency’s museum.
“I also want to reinforce my willingness to help your mission in any way I can,” Nick Pompeo reportedly wrote. “We view this as a family endeavor, so if you think there is any place I can add value, don’t hesitate to reach out.”
According to NBC, Nick Pompeo asked in the email if he or his software company, WestCap, could be involved in a “data hackathon” event the State Department was planning.
He reportedly requested details about dates, times, volunteer opportunities and “how I or anyone at my company could help.”
The State Department told NBC that Nick Pompeo’s company did not participate in the event, which was meant to educate attendees on computer programming skills.
The emails obtained by NBC also show that Susan Pompeo gave State Department officials instructions from her personal email address about travel plans, restaurant reservations and the previously reported “Madison Dinners” — regular, unpublicized events held by the secretary and his wife that were allegedly paid for with taxpayer funds.
The emails from her account also reportedly included maintenance requests for the house the family rents on a military base just outside Washington.
Special agents from the Secretary of State Protective Division reportedly wrote emails updating Susan Pompeo about repairs to the HVAC system in 2018 and to the porch and stairs in 2019.
“The dryer isn’t hooked up … I think you told me someone was coming to fix that?” Susan Pompeo allegedly said via text message to a State Department official, whose name is redacted, in September 2018.
“Ma’am – On it, I was told it was fixed. Let me get you an answer,” the official reportedly wrote in an email hours later.
In a statement to The Hill, a State Department spokesperson said, “Diplomatic Security establishes all protocols and specifications for protectees based on threat levels.”
“Mrs. Pompeo has been directed to contact diplomatic security before any non-family members come to their home,” including workers who may need to access the residence, the spokesperson added.
The State Department official who sent the email “acted appropriately,” the spokesperson said, and the agency had “no security concerns about this practice.”
Stephen Gillers, a law and ethics professor at New York University’s School of Law, told NBC that while Susan Pompeo’s use of her personal email to conduct conversations with State Department officials was “unwise,” it did not necessarily appear to violate any ethics rules.
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"The dryer isn't hooked up … I think you told me someone was coming to fix that?" Susan Pompeo allegedly said via text message to a State Department official. https://t.co/AcqpI55q1E
— The Hill (@thehill) October 30, 2020
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