Secretary Pompeo Isn't Afraid to Make Waves
Check out our interview here.
Good morning!
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My Exclusive Interview with Secretary Mike Pompeo
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is a towering figure.
Few public officials have had stints as CIA Director, U.S. congressman, and business owner. To supporters and detractors alike, he’s more formidable now that he’s out of office.
I recently met with Secretary Pompeo at Hudson Institute in downtown Washington, D.C., where he serves as a Distinguished Fellow, to speak with him about current events.
During our conversation, he discussed foreign policy, his successor Secretary Blinken’s performance thus far, President Biden’s War on Guns, and much more.
Assessing the Biden Doctrine
I asked Pompeo to assess his successor Secretary Antony Blinken’s tenure so far.
“They've had some good rhetoric on China, but I haven't seen any follow through yet,” he responded. “And in the Middle East...it's the same cast of characters from the previous eight years. They're headed back down the same path, with respect to Iran, that will guarantee them a pathway to a nuclear weapon.”
With respect to Secretary Blinken waiving Nord Stream 2 sanctions, he didn’t hold back.
“The Russians want to build a pipeline so the Germans will be dependent upon them in times of trouble,” Pompeo said. “We [the Trump administration] prevented that from being concluded. This administration stopped only one pipeline. One in the United States, not Nord Stream 2. I mean, that is just crazy.”
Pompeo further conveyed his displeasure with their kowtowing to Russia.
“The very first action that this administration took, with respect to Russia, was to rejoin a treaty: the New START Treaty,” he said. “They re-entered that treaty, much to Vladimir Putin's joy, in exchange for nothing.”
“They walked in and handed Vladimir Putin a gift almost on the first day of the administration.”
He listed how the Trump administration stood up to the Kremlin through aiding Ukrainians with a defensive weapons system and requiring NATO countries to allot two percent of their GDP towards defense spending. He also believes the media purposely glossed over the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats, Nord Stream 2 opposition, and sanctions imposed on Russia across their four years.
“It is not a close call with who was tougher with respect to taking on the interest of Russia most seriously,” the former CIA Director noted. “I think they [the American people] can now see the contrast pretty sharply. And I think redounds to the benefit of President Trump in the work that we did.”
“Talk is cheap,” he said of the upcoming Putin-Biden Summit in Geneva, Switzerland. “Handshakes don't replace interests. In the end, what matters is the outcomes that one gets.”
Want to see more?
Watch our full interview on YouTube:
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—Gabriella