Mike Pompeo says he doesn't know what happened to the missing $5,800 bottle of whiskey gifted by Japan


U.S. government officials are generally banned from receiving gifts from foreign governments under the emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution, and any large or costly gift becomes the property of the U.S. government. The State Department said Thursday that it has "an ongoing inquiry" into a missing bottle of whiskey the government of Japan gave then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in June 2019. The bottle of whiskey, valued at $5,800, is marked "disposition unknown" in an annual report on foreign gifts in the Federal Register, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Pompeo, through his lawyer, suggested he didn't drink it — or, if you want to misread the statement another way, he drank too much of it. Pompeo has "no recollection of receiving the bottle of whiskey and does not have any knowledge of what happened to it," said his lawyer, William Burck.
Pompeo faced criticism as secretary of state for hosting regular lavish taxpayer-funded parties and allegedly making government employees run personal errands for him and his wife. But other official foreign gifts to Pompeo, including a silver falcon statue from Saudi Arabia, "are marked as being transferred to the State Department's National Museum of American Diplomacy or elsewhere in the government," the Journal reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Court says labor board's structure unconstitutional
Speed Read The ruling has broad implications for labor rights enforcement in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi
-
Feds seek harsh charges in DC arrests, except for rifles
Speed Read The DOJ said 465 arrests had been made in D.C. since Trump federalized law enforcement there two weeks ago
-
Court says labor board's structure unconstitutional
Speed Read The ruling has broad implications for labor rights enforcement in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi
-
Feds seek harsh charges in DC arrests, except for rifles
Speed Read The DOJ said 465 arrests had been made in D.C. since Trump federalized law enforcement there two weeks ago
-
Trump taps Missouri AG to help lead FBI
Speed Read Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has been appointed FBI co-deputy director, alongside Dan Bongino
-
Trump warms to Kyiv security deal in summit
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Trump's support for guaranteeing his country's security 'a major step forward'
-
DC protests as Trump deployment ramps up
Speed Read Trump's 'crusade against crime' is targeting immigrants and the homeless
-
Ukraine, European leaders to meet Trump after Putin talks
Speed Read Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week
-
Jonathan Powell: who is the man behind Keir Starmer's foreign policy?
Today's Big Question Prime minister's national security adviser is a 'world-class operator'
-
Border agents crash Newsom redistricting kickoff
Speed Read Armed federal Border Patrol agents amassed outside the venue where the California governor and other Democratic leaders were gathered