The Political Scene | The New Yorker

Episode Summary: "Mike Pompeo’s Circuitous Journey to Trump’s Cabinet"

Date: August 22, 2019
Host: Eric Lach
Guest: Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker staff writer

Overview

This episode examines the unlikely transformation of Mike Pompeo—from a little-known Tea Party congressman with minimal foreign policy experience to the last surviving member of Trump’s original national security team, now serving as Secretary of State. Host Eric Lach and New Yorker staff writer Susan B. Glasser explore Pompeo’s ideological evolution, his calculated adaptation to the Trump era, and how his personal journey mirrors broader shifts within the Republican Party. Glasser, having recently published an in-depth profile on Pompeo, offers unique insights into how his biography shapes his politics and ambitions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Pompeo’s Ideological Arc and Political Reinvention

• Rapid Ascent: Pompeo's rise—from a West Point valedictorian to the top US diplomat—is portrayed as highly unorthodox, given his lack of international and executive experience.
• Reinvention as a Political Tool:
  • Quote (Susan Glasser, 04:09):
    “What I found was a biography of somebody who has reinvented himself and made stark pivots and shifts multiple times in his life already. And so perhaps that's one reason why he was comfortable making this kind of a sharp turn.”
  • Pompeo's most dramatic change: from “Southern California Orange County boy with a liberal father to heartland evangelical in his political career.”
• Self-Curated Narrative: Glasser observes that Pompeo intentionally obscures aspects of his biography, preferring to “construct the narrative of his life rather than it just being well documented and out there.”

2. Business Career and the Koch Brothers’ Influence

• Thayer Aerospace and Narrative Manipulation:
  • Pompeo left a promising legal career, started Thayer Aerospace with the help of Koch Industries’ venture capital, and later misrepresented both the company’s success and the Kochs’ involvement.
  • Quote (Susan Glasser, 07:31):
    “...the company didn’t do well in the end. It was sold. He was, it appears, forced out in 2006, and then the company was sold in 2007 to a secretive private equity firm… that specialized essentially in over-leveraged and failing companies.”
  • Pompeo recast his business experience for political gain, calling himself a Kansas “small businessman.”
• Failure of Local Reporting:
  • Quote (Susan Glasser, 09:33):
    “It’s, I think, a story about the failure of local journalism, and it’s also the story very much, of course, about the Trump administration.”

3. Trump-Era Vetting and Loyalty

• Loose Vetting Standards: Pompeo was appointed CIA Director “without ever filling out a vetting questionnaire.”
• Personal Networks Triumph:
  • Quote (Eric Lach, 11:40):
    “Is that really how it works? You call a guy, that guy calls a guy, and then your CIA director?”
  • Response (Susan Glasser): “It's only how it works in the Trump administration.”
• Demand for Loyalty: Pompeo’s story illustrates the President’s reliance on loyalists over experienced foreign policy operatives.

4. Pompeo's Congressional Record: Benghazi and Iran Deal

• Benghazi:
  • Pompeo stood out as one of the two Republicans to issue a dissenting, conspiracy-driven report against Hillary Clinton after the Benghazi hearings.
  • Quote (Susan Glasser, 13:12):
    “He was the most vehement promoter of the Benghazi conspiracy theories involving Hillary Clinton.”
• Opposition to Iran Deal:
  • Alongside Tom Cotton, Pompeo was a leading opponent of Obama’s Iran nuclear agreement, aligning with Trump’s foreign policy instincts.

5. Balancing Ideological Differences with Trump

• Navigating Disagreement:
  • Pompeo and other establishment Republicans often justified their positions by “ignoring what the President himself says,” particularly Trump’s tweets, though this became increasingly untenable as Trump made policy via social media.
  • Example: Pompeo contradicted Trump on US policy toward Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights, only to be overruled by a presidential tweet.
• Endurance vs. Principle:
  • Contrasted with colleagues like James Mattis (who resigned on principle), Pompeo remained by adapting to Trump’s impulsiveness, utilizing both quiet lobbying and public defense—even at the cost of ignoring “the facts in defending his boss.” (16:30–17:57)

6. Military Mindset: Captain vs. General

• Difference in Perspective:
  • Pompeo’s West Point background shapes his language and approach, centering on command and mission execution, but his lower rank (he left the Army as a captain) may make him more comfortable in a subordinate, rather than strategic, role.
  • Quote (Susan Glasser, 18:29):
    “He portrays himself as a mere executor of ideas rather than a policy maker in a way that perhaps makes it easier for him also to disagree.”

7. Future Ambitions

• Political Aspirations:
  • Unlike most senior officials, Pompeo’s political career is front and center during his tenure.
  • Open speculation about his future—possibly a run for President or Senate—remains, with Pompeo refusing to rule out a presidential bid.
  • Quote (Susan Glasser, 20:13):
    “I think it’s a key thing to understand that Pompeo, unlike many of those other secretaries of State, started this thing as a politician and essentially remains a politician while in office.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Pompeo’s Transformation:
  “This is, I think, in many ways a story about someone who never would have been secretary of state in any other administration.”
  – Susan Glasser, 03:11

• On Self-Narrative and Obscuring the Record:
  “He wants to own and construct the narrative of his life rather than it just being well documented and out there as with so many of his predecessors.”
  – Susan Glasser, 04:52

• On Trump Administration Vetting:
  “The vetting was absent completely. In the case of Mike Pompeo, he apparently was appointed CIA director without ever filling out a vetting questionnaire, according to Devin Nunez.”
  – Susan Glasser, 10:34

• On Handling Trump’s Decision-Making:
  “If you ignore the tweets, you’re going to be missing out on a lot of key decision making.”
  – Susan Glasser, 15:29

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:16: Introduction to Pompeo’s rise and ideological turn
• 03:11: Discussion of Pompeo’s conservative credentials and unlikely move to Secretary of State
• 05:31: Examination of Pompeo’s business career and Koch brothers’ role
• 09:33: The role of journalism and Trump-era appointments
• 11:40: How Pompeo landed the CIA appointment
• 12:40: The role of Benghazi and Iran deal opposition in Pompeo’s ascent
• 16:30: Navigating disagreements with Trump and staying in power
• 18:29: Military mindset and Pompeo’s approach as Secretary of State
• 20:13: Pompeo’s ongoing political ambitions

Conclusion

This episode pulls back the curtain on Mike Pompeo’s circuitous path to power, dissecting how his relentless ambition, chameleon-like political adaptation, and comfort with narrative manipulation have positioned him as Trump’s most enduring—and politically poised—allied official. The conversation prompts broader questions about party identity, political vetting, and the lasting implications for American governance in the Trump era.