Former Obama official calls Pompeo's presidential transition comments 'reckless,' 'damaging to U.S. security'
Some are concerned by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's comment about a "second Trump administration." Others think they’re taking the bait.
Pompeo on Tuesday refused to acknowledge President-elect Joe Biden's victory, saying rather than readying for new leadership, he believes "there will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration." Some critics found the words alarming, while others saw the statement as an attempt to rile up President Trump's base by allowing Pompeo to claim he was joking and blast his opponents for overreacting. Even if that is the case, some say, the joke isn't funny.
Count former Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, who also served on former President Barack Obama's national security council, among those who are legitimately concerned. Power tweeted that Pompeo's words were "reckless, dangerous, and damaging to U.S. security.
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Meanwhile, another Obama official, Ben Rhodes, who served as the deputy national security adviser for strategic communications, called Pompeo out for hypocrisy, arguing the State Department would publicly condemn a similar statement from a foreign official whose party lost an election. Tim O'Donnell
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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
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