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U.S. President Donald Trump seems to think highly of his current secretary of state, Mike Pompeo. In fact, according to the Washington Post, Pompeo is his 'favorite Cabinet member.' It would be difficult to dispute Pompeo's credentials. He graduated at the top of his class at the United States Military Academy in 1986. He went on to achieve the rank of captain in the United States Army. Later, he was elected four times to the US House of Representatives from Kansas. President Trump appointed him as director of the Central Intelligence Agency in 2017.
The following year, the president appointed him to be secretary of state, succeeding Rex Tillerson.
But Pompeo's days in Trump's administration may be coming to a close sooner rather than later. Amidst numerous controversies involving the administration, he may be eyeing a return to Congress.
Pompeo may be considering running for the US Senate
Four-term incumbent Republican Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas has announced his retirement. Speculation quickly began as to who Republicans might nominate to replace him for the 2020 election. Congressman Roger Marshall, former Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer and former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach have been mentioned. So has American Conservative Union President Matt Schlapp.
But according to KCTV News, Senate Republicans strongly favor Pompeo. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has reported personally encouraged him to run. And Pompeo seems to be open to the idea. He has met with a prominent Republican consultant about the matter.
Pompeo has previously had a complicated relationship with Senate Republicans.
In 2016, he caused a stir after criticizing Kansas' other senator, Republican Jerry Moran. But things seem to have since smoothed over. His appointments as director of the CIA and secretary of state required Senate confirmation. In both cases, he received strong support from his fellow Republicans.
It would be yet another turnover in personnel for the Trump administration
A possible departure by Pompeo would continue the trend of unprecedented personnel turnovers in a presidential administration. Pompeo would be the seventh Cabinet member to vacate their positions since President Trump took office. Other prominent exits include two White House chiefs of staff, a UN ambassador and an EPA administrator. Departures by others serving in less-publicized positions have been incredibly excessive. Some of them have left personally shrouded in controversy. For others, it has been speculated that they no longer wanted to be associated with the highly polarizing administration.
The high amount of openings has extended beyond the Executive Branch.
Many Republican members of Congress seem to have had their fill of recent politics. In addition to Roberts, Tennessee Republican Senator Lamar Alexander has also opted not to run again. A former US secretary of education and Tennessee governor, Alexander is in his third Senate term. Before the 2016 elections, the list of Republicans choosing to step aside was vast. It included Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and Senators Orrin Hatch, Bob Corker and Jeff Flake.
