The 12 Craziest Details About Mike Pompeo’s Missing Whiskey
A filing in the federal registrar that was made public this week states that former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s whiskey is missing.
Normally, this would not be a newsworthy situation. However, this isn’t just any whiskey; it’s a bottle of rare Japanese whiskey worth an estimated $5,800.
And even though that is an out-of-the-ordinary gift, the rarity of the whiskey isn’t what aroused the suspicion of the State Department who is currently investigating the matter. According to the law in the United States, Pompeo even accepting and keeping the whiskey is illegal.
Here are the craziest details about Mike Pompeo’s missing whiskey:
1. POMPEO COULD BE BREAKING THE LAW
At the time he was gifted the whiskey by the Government of Japan in June 2019, the limit on gifts U.S. officials could accept from foreign governments was $390, significantly less than the cost of the gift. And now that whiskey is missing and no one seems to know for certain where it could be.
2. THE WHISKEY WAS ACCEPTED ON HIS BEHALF
Pompeo was in Saudi Arabia at the time the gift was given by the Government of Japan and the whiskey was accepted on his behalf so as not to be insulting.
He then went to Japan later that week to attend the Group 20 Summit and it’s unclear whether the offering was discussed between him and his generous hosts.
As of yet, the Japanese Embassy located in Washington, nor the Japanese media has reported any official comment from Japan on the controversy.
In the event that Japan does comment on the scandal, they are in the clear; while it is illegal for gifts above a certain amount of money to be kept by U.S officials, they can be disclosed and turned over to the U.S. government and can be purchased by the original recipient.
After being turned over to whoever accepted the whiskey on Pompeo’s behalf, it was in the former Secretary of State’s hands to follow the protocol set forth for U.S. officials accepting gifts.
3. POMPEO SAYS HE KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT IT
Pompeo has gone on record saying that he has no recollection of even seeing that gift and that he is not a big drinker. He even went so far as to say that he, “wouldn’t know the difference between a $58 bottle, and a $5,800 bottle.”
Apparently, he prefers Diet Coke to the extravagant liquor he was gifted.
According to Washington Post, other gifts that have been confiscated over the years include a ceramic dragon presented to Trump by the president of Vietnam, and a Brazilian hardwood bench carved in the shape of a jaguar also given to Trump by Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.
These and other items were turned over to the national archives but as of now the whereabouts of the whiskey is listed as “Unknown.”
It’s common courtesy to accept these gifts so as not to be rude but expensive items must be forfeited to avoid a situation where gifts are given to earn political favor with elected officials.
4. EXPENSIVE WHISKEY TASTES JUST LIKE CHEAP WHISKEY
When I heard how expensive this bottle of whiskey was and that Mike Pompeo prefers Diet Coke, I asked a friend of mine who is a drinker to go to a whiskey bar in Cleveland Heights with me.
My friend ordered a shot of Japanese whiskey that cost $20. I ordered one that cost $4. I tried a sip of his and was as disgusted by his as I was mine. They both tasted equally like gasoline and burnt wood. He said he was better, but I disagree.
Given that the bottles were one liter, which contains 22 normal 1.5-ounce shots. That means my friend's bottle cost $440 to mine which cost $88. I can only imagine how bad an expensive bottle would taste.
Later I had a Diet Coke for comparison and agree that it tastes much better This is one of the only things Mike Pompeo and I agree on.
5. THE ORGANIZATION THAT OVERSEES GIFTS IS DYSFUNCTIONAL
Pompeo was quick to blame the missing bottle on bureaucratic incompetence, specifically the Office of the Chief of Protocol which is the organization that oversees the giving and receiving of gifts between the United States and foreign governments.
A government watchdog group had been compiling an Inspector General report which was released last May. The report uncovered allegedly unprofessional behavior including excessive drinking, yelling, cursing, and an intimidating, abusive work environment.
6. THE GUY IN CHARGE WAS ACCUSED OF BEING A VIOLENT ALCOHOLIC
Possibly the wildest allegation is that a former protocol chief, Sean Lawler, was accused of wielding a whip in the office. Lawler allegedly used the weapon, which was supposedly itself gifted to him by a delegation visiting from Kazakhstan, to intimidate employees.
He allegedly used homophobic slurs and drank heavily while on the job, possibly contributing to his violence and unhinged demeanor.
Lawler’s behavior went so far as to force the current Chief of Protocol, Cam Henderson, to confiscate the whip. In spite of Henderson’s intervention, the State Department’s watchdog report found that she had “failed to report” behavior that was “in violation of Department policies.” At least we know what happened to the gifted whip.
7. THIS ISN’T POMPEO’S FIRST SCANDAL
However, the reported dysfunction of the Office of the Chief of Protocol isn’t the only factor to consider in the case of the missing whiskey. Pompeo himself has been mired in controversy before.
The State Department released an internal watchdog report in April that found Pompeo had engaged in unethical behavior such as having his personal staff run errands unrelated to official business, essentially using employees whose salaries are paid by American taxpayers to attend to his personal business.
8. WHEN HE GOT CAUGHT, HE LIED
Staffers were found to have been asked to book restaurant reservations, take care of Pompeo’s dog and perform other tasks that were not related to their official business.
At the time of the report being made public, Pompeo denied the allegations but has since admitted as the evidence against him became too overwhelming.
It seems that Pompeo is willing to engage in behavior he knows is unethical and isn’t above lying about it to get away with unethical behavior. While this fails to determine whether or not he knows more than he is leading on in terms of the missing whiskey, it does make that possibility seem more credible.
9. MIKE POMPEO WANTS TO BE PRESIDENT
Pompeo has also abused his position in the past to go on trips that were not on his public schedule or disclosed to reporters. This isn’t illegal in itself but it’s not exactly normal behavior for a high-profile elected official to go on secret trips.
10. HE HAS A LOT OF FAMOUS (AND RICH) FRIENDS
He reportedly met with Republican donors including billionaire Charles Koch aboard a government aircraft while on official business. He is reported to have made several other mysterious trips while on official business including a detour in Florida to the Villages, a retirement community well known as being the home to numerous Republican donors.
The secretary and former CIA director contend that these trips are simply part of his job and that the kind of business leaders that he is obligated to meet with and have face-to-face time with also tend to be political donors.
Alan Cobb, a long-time friend of Pompeo and the head of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce was quoted saying, “the fact is, most wealthy business leaders are political donors—good luck finding one who is not.”
This hasn’t stopped critics from accusing Pompeo of using these meetings to further his own political agenda. If that’s the case, he might have violated another law, the Hatch Act, which among other things, prohibits using any public funds for electoral purposes.
Considering the fact that there have been talks of a 2024 Pompeo presidential bid, these meetings have come under intense scrutiny and seem to hint at the former Secretary of State engaging in even more unethical behavior.
11. HE MIGHT KNOW MORE THAN HE'S LED ON
So, if he doesn’t see the problem with him using his position to further his political agenda while attempting to keep these meetings under wraps, is it possible that he knowingly kept the expensive and rare whiskey? Or is the clearly dysfunctional Office of the Chief of Protocol to blame?
12. POMPEO AND TRUMP ARE FRIENDS
Pompeo rose to political prominence under the presidency of Donald Trump, who is no stranger to controversy himself. Despite initially opposing Trump’s presidency, Pompeo eventually became one of his most loyal supporters.
The former president even told New York’s Olivia Nuzzi that, “I argue with everyone except Pompeo.” Trump even fired the official in charge of the initial investigation into Pompeo’s allegedly unethical behavior, apparently in an attempt to keep him out of trouble.
With this in mind, the web of apparent dysfunction between Pompeo and the Office of the Chief of Protocol has raised the suspicion of the State Department. At the time of writing, there is an ongoing inquiry into what happened to the booze.