Pompeo announces trip to Iowa

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Iowa on Friday, following months of speculation over his possible future political aspirations.

Pompeo will meet with officials for a round table discussion with the Iowa Farm Bureau, according to the State Department, and will also speak at the evangelical Ron Pearson Center’s Family Leadership Summit.

The State Department did not immediately return a request for additional comment on the secretary’s future political plans. His visit to the state comes after he was reported in May to have met with GOP political donors and other Republican operatives while on official State Department trips, signaling possible plans for a Senate bid this year or a presidential run in 2024.

Among those Pompeo has met with in recent months include billionaire GOP mega-donor Charles Koch, a longtime supporter of Pompeo’s political career, according to The New York Times.

Formerly a member of the House representing Kansas, Pompeo was in Congress between 2011 and 2017 until joining the Trump administration as head of the CIA.

He was also among a list of influential Republicans and members of the Trump administration who spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference earlier this year, a top speaking venue for presidential hopefuls.