McClatchy: Pompeo Confirmed as Secretary of State – But He's Also Ready for Higher Office
Tucked behind a bloc of office suites off a dead-end road in Wichita sit three storage units that house old yard signs, campaign office furniture and other relics of Mike Pompeo’s political past — and clues to his possible future.
More than 1,200 miles away, the U.S. Senate confirmed Pompeo on Thursday as secretary of state. The 57-42 vote caps a meteoric rise for 54-year-old Pompeo, who went from a relatively junior member of Congress to fourth in line of succession to the president in little more than a year.
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“Campaign funds are supposed to be used to support a candidate’s campaign or their duties as a member of Congress," said Brendan Fischer of the Campaign Legal Center, a campaign finance watchdog. "Once an office holder no longer holds office or is no longer in Congress, it becomes much harder to justify campaign expenditures."
Among the expenses by Pompeo’s committee that Fischer’s organization flagged as questionable were $443 to Amtrak for "Train Tickets" on Nov 15, the day before Pompeo met with then President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower, and $1,137.60 to Delta for "Travel- Airfare" on Nov 18, the day Trump announced his choice of Pompeo for CIA director.
It would be impermissible for Pompeo to use campaign funds to secure his nomination as CIA director, Fischer said.