Mike Pompeo

Mike Pompeo is an American politician, diplomat, and businessman who served as the 70th United States Secretary of State and as the 6th Director of the Central Intelligence Agency under President Donald Trump. He previously represented Kansas's 4th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2011 to 2017. A graduate of the United States Military Academy and Harvard Law School, Pompeo's career spans military service, private business, and high-level national security and foreign policy roles.

Early life and education

Michael Richard Pompeo was born on December 30, 1963, in Orange, California. He was an accomplished student, graduating first in his class from Los Amigos High School in Fountain Valley, California. Pompeo received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he graduated first in his class in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering. He served as a cavalry officer in the United States Army, leading a platoon in the 2nd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment of the 2nd Armored Division along the Inner German border during the final years of the Cold War. Following his military service, Pompeo attended Harvard Law School, earning a Juris Doctor degree in 1994.

Business career

After graduating from Harvard Law School, Pompeo worked as an attorney in Washington, D.C. at the law firm Williams & Connolly. He then moved to Wichita, Kansas, where he entered the private sector, co-founding and serving as president of Thayer Aerospace. He later became the president of Sentry International, an oilfield equipment manufacturing and distribution company based in Wichita. His business career in Kansas provided him with connections to the state's political and economic leaders, including the Koch political network, which would later support his entry into politics.

U.S. House of Representatives

Pompeo was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2010, representing Kansas's 4th congressional district. He served on the influential House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. In Congress, he was a vocal critic of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran and the Obama administration's foreign policy, often aligning with the Tea Party movement. He also served on the Select Committee on Benghazi, which investigated the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi.

CIA Director

In January 2017, Pompeo was confirmed by the United States Senate as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. His tenure focused on accelerating the Agency's adoption of new technologies and emphasizing a more aggressive posture against adversaries like Iran, North Korea, and terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. He was a key national security advisor to President Donald Trump, frequently delivering the President's Daily Brief and advocating for a robust intelligence posture against Russia and China.

U.S. Secretary of State

Nominated by President Donald Trump, Pompeo was confirmed as United States Secretary of State in April 2018, succeeding Rex Tillerson. His tenure was defined by a "maximum pressure" campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran, the initiation of diplomatic talks with the Taliban that led to the 2020 Doha Agreement, and a hardline stance against the People's Republic of China, particularly regarding Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. He oversaw the formal move of the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and the brokering of the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states.

Post-government career

Since leaving the State Department in January 2021, Pompeo has joined the American Enterprise Institute as a distinguished fellow. He also serves as a senior advisor for global affairs at American Global Strategies LLC, a consulting firm he helped establish. A potential candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election, he remains active on the speaking circuit, frequently commenting on foreign policy issues and criticizing the foreign policy of the Biden administration. He published a memoir, *Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love*, in 2023. Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:United States Secretaries of State Category:Directors of the Central Intelligence Agency Category:United States representatives from Kansas