UPDATED: Pompeo’s son raised ‘hackathon’ event in email to State Department

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s son in a 2018 email in 2018 to State Department officials raised his company’s participation in a “data hackathon” event being held by the agency, according to an email obtained by The Hill and first reported by NBC News. 

 

In an email written less than three months after Mike Pompeo’s swearing in, Nick Pompeo thanked State Department officials for giving him and his mother a private tour of the agency’s museum.

“I also want to reinforce my willingness to help your mission in any way I can,” Nick Pompeo wrote. “We view this as a family endeavor, so if you think there is any place I can add value, don’t hesitate to reach out.”

Nick Pompeo then suggested that he, along with other members of his software company, could volunteer “to help coach” at a “data hackathon” event, which was meant to train attendees on computer programming skills. 

The State Department told NBC News that Nick Pompeo’s company did not end up participating in the event. 

The emails comes as both Congress and the Office of Special Counsel oversee investigations into allegations of misuse of government resources by Mike Pompeo and his wife, Susan Pompeo. 

The new emails obtained by NBC News reportedly show cases when Susan Pompeo instructed staff to complete personal tasks.

The emails obtained by NBC also show that Susan Pompeo gave State Department officials instructions from her personal email address about travel plans, restaurant reservations and the previously reported “Madison Dinners” — regular, unpublicized events held by the secretary and his wife that were allegedly paid for with taxpayer funds.

The emails from her account also reportedly included maintenance requests for the house the family rents on a military base just outside Washington. Special agents from the Secretary of State Protective Division reportedly wrote emails updating Susan Pompeo about repairs to the HVAC system in 2018 and to the porch and stairs in 2019.

“The dryer isn’t hooked up … I think you told me someone was coming to fix that?” Susan Pompeo allegedly said via text message to a State Department official, whose name is redacted, in September 2018.

“Ma’am – On it, I was told it was fixed. Let me get you an answer,” the official reportedly wrote in an email hours later.

In a statement to The Hill, a State Department spokesperson said, “Diplomatic Security establishes all protocols and specifications for protectees based on threat levels.” 

“Mrs. Pompeo has been directed to contact diplomatic security before any non-family members come to their home,” including workers who may need to access the residence, the spokesperson added.

The State Department official who sent the email “acted appropriately,” the spokesperson said, and the agency had “no security concerns about this practice.”

Stephen Gillers, a law and ethics professor at New York University’s School of Law, told NBC that while Susan Pompeo’s use of her personal email to conduct conversations with State Department officials was “unwise,” it did not necessarily appear to violate any ethics rules. 

“There are certainly ‘optics’ issues here. It can look like Pompeo is using the office to ingratiate himself with others, possibly future supporters in a 2024 White House race,” Gillers said, adding, “I don’t see that they used the office for financial gain.”

In May, multiple outlets reported that President Trump removed a State Department inspector general who was reviewing whether Mike Pompeo made a member of his staff perform personal errands.

Two congressional officials assigned to separate committees told NBC at the time that Steve Linick was investigating whether Pompeo made the staffer walk his dog, pick up dry cleaning and arrange dinner reservations, among other tasks, for him and his wife. The Washington Post also reported on the details.

Updated at 5:00 p.m. October 30.