US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is under coronavirus quarantine a day after his own poorly attended Christmas party. Pompeo is currently testing, according to the State Dept.
Pompeo and his wife Susan (photo) held an indoor Christmas party on Tuesday that invited 900 guests. Only about 70 showed RSVP and even fewer, reports the Washington Post. The State Dept. does not disclose the name of the person who tested positive or how the secretary came into contact with them, but says Pompeo is “closely monitored” by the department’s medical team.
The Post adds that “Pompeo, whose name was on the invitation and who was due to speak at the event, canceled his speech and tapped a substitute speaker.”
Politico reports that Pompeo “has been sketchy in its efforts to follow social distancing rules recommended by public health experts” of its own pandemic-related guidelines. “
The ultra-conservative secretary, who is widely believed to be using his State Department post as a launch pad for a 2024 presidential election, has been secretly throwing big, fancy parties he calls “Madison Dinners” for years, even at taxpayers’ expense during the pandemic. The guest lists generally contain more donors than diplomats and are viewed by some as a tool to help him with a run at the White House.
Connected –
London to Latin America: Pompeo is secretly using government trips to meet wealthy donors for a potential 2024 run
Pompeo was due to attend the president’s cabinet meeting on Wednesday, only the second such meeting Trump held this year.
Should Pompeo test positive for coronavirus, he would be roughly the 60th person in Trump’s orbit to have COVID-19.
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