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Mike Pompeo · The David Rubenstein Show

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Mike Pompeo was sworn in as Secretary of State on April.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: He previously served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: from January of seen to April. Prior to joining the
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Trump administration, Mr Pompeo was serving in his fourth term
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: as a congressman from Kansas fourth District. He served on
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: the House Intelligence Committee, the Energy and Commerce Committees, as
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: well as the House Select Benghazi Committee. Pompeo sat down
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: with David Rubinstein, co founder of the Carlisle Group and
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: host of the Bloomberg television show Peer to Peer Conversations,
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: to discuss his foreign policy priorities, sanctions against Iran, protecting
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: the integrity of America's elections, and his relationship with the president.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: So um, he became our seventieth of the United States
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: Secretary of State in April of two thou eighteen. Um,
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: you're happy with the job. Is as much as fun
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: as you thought it was going to be every day.
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: So um, what are the most significant foreign policy issues
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: of concern to you? What do you think are the
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: biggest challenges we have in our country right now in
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: foreign policy area? So you know, I could ask this
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: question about sort of rank ordering the challenges. I mean,
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: that's not an original question. I mean, so look, it's
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: a it's important question where it's it's about priorities and
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: resources and how do you allocate time and how do
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: you think about the problems that you know. For me,
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: the first the first task when I came in now
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: to sixty and seventeen months ago to the State Department
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: after after having been the CIA director, was to make
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: sure the State Department was ready in the moment of
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: crisis in terms of priorities. Uh, you know, every morning,
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: the first thing I do is read about China. So
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: I take time and talk about all the broad array
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: of issues that present both real opportunity for that estates
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: and risk to America from China. Let's talk about China
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: for a moment. The trade negotiations are going on. You're
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: not the lead in the trade negotiations, think Bob Lightheiser
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: is taking the lead in that. But can you make
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: a progress in non trade issues until the trade issue
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: is resolved. Yeah, And and we we've made some um,
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: we've out other places where we've gotten backwards. The Chinese
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: have frankly been very helpful on North Korea, so they
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: have done more to enforce the UN Security Council resolutions
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: on North Korea than ever at any time in history. Um,
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: they're they're helpful with us today in Afghanistan and the
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: project there too. It's something folks don't spend a lot
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: of time thinking about. H. So far, so good with
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: respect to respecting our sanctions enforcement on the Islamic Republic
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: of Iran. But so there are places we can work
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: with China. There are lots of diplomatic fronts where we
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: have h We don't share the same values, but we
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: have overlapping interests and we work on those problems. So
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: you have been in North Korea and you've met with
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: the leader of North Korea on a few occasions, and
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: you've been there where the president has met with him.
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: So what type of person is he? Does he have great?
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: Interesting thoughts does he have? Did he speak English? Are
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: do you communicate in English with him? And can you
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: just can arize what your impression is of the leader
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: of North Korea? Yeah, so I've spent more time with
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: him than any American passed Dennis Rodman on the last trip. Okay, okay,
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: so uh so so he look, he's he's he's bright,
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: he he has managed. He has managed to rise to
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  Speaker 1: the level leadership in a difficult environment where he was
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: a very young man when his time came. Uh. From
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: my very first interaction with him, he's been very candid
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: with me about the things that are important to him,
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: the priority set and how the negotiations might proceed. Uh.
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  Speaker 1: He's now repeated that he's prepared to de nuclearized. It's
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: not time to execute. Uh, and I hope that we
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: can achieve that. Do you expect a third summit to
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: be announced anytime soon? The date and time of it,
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: and there's there's there's nothing in the works, okay, because
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: there's not nothing planned. And um, why did the last
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: summit end before the lunch even occurred? Why did it
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: kind of abruptly end? Uh? There was a big bit
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: esque spread to put it in economic torran. Uh. We
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: we'd had an umber. I can't go into all the
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: just but we had a number of conversations about a
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  Speaker 1: broad range of issues in the run up to that.
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  Speaker 1: My team it worked very very hard, UH, and it
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  Speaker 1: just turned out that the idea that the leaders could
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  Speaker 1: bridge that gap in that moment turned out to not
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: work that day. But do you think they're The U
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: S position has been that we would not lift sanctions
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  Speaker 1: until there was a so called d nuclearization. But would
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  Speaker 1: you be willing to consider having the North Koreans keep
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: whatever they have in nuclear weapons now and then lift
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  Speaker 1: sanctions that they didn't do more than they have now
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  Speaker 1: or is that something too hypothetical? Too hypothetical? Okay, I
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: didn't want to give you the answer, but all right,
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: So look, I'll say this, I've I've talked about this
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  Speaker 1: publicly a couple of times. We hope that there are
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  Speaker 1: creative solutions to unlocking this. It is a very difficult
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: challenge for each of us. We have to remember too,
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  Speaker 1: these aren't U S sanctions. These are UN Security Council resolutions.
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  Speaker 1: These are global sanctions put on by every single country,
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  Speaker 1: and so we are we are mindful that we are
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: the steward for enforcing those. Let's go to easier part
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: of the world, the Middle East. Okay, So, um, this
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: rates or for moves? Are we committed to keeping open
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: the straight so far moves at any cost militarily, We're
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: going to keep them open. Uh. Well, We're going to
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: build out a maritime security plan. Um. Countries from all
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: across the world who have a vested interest in keeping
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: those wider ways open will participate. Uh. It will take
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: more time than we wish it would take, but I'm
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: very confident that the world understands its importance. That America
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: is prepared to be a significant part of that. But
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: we need countries from all across the world to assist
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: us in protecting commercial transit. What will be successful what
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: our position, I presume is that if the U. S
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: ship were taken by the Iranians, we would presumably do
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: something militarily. I guess I don't know, But what about
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: if if a ship is taken that's a British ship
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: or some other nationality, or we not committed to recovering
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: that ship or doing something to defend those ships. We
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: are working I was working with what I guess I'm
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: not working with my third British Ford Minister, since that's
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: been a secondary state, but working with the British to
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: find the solution to both a UH, right that injustice
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: and second prevent it from happening again. So to establish
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: the turrets. That's the mission set. Recently, you gave a
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: visa for the Foreign Minister of Iran to come to
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: the United States, for you an event. Yes, yes, okay.
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: So when he was in the United States, were there
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: any indirect or direct talks with him and the State
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: Department about anything that you can talk about? No talks,
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: No talks and okay. And although he spoke, the American
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: media decided to give him a megaphone to talk about
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  Speaker 1: things that are untrue going on in the Islambic Republic
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: of Iran and gave him a chance to lie vociferously
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: to the American people. I look forward to the chance
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: to speak to the Iranian people in that same way,
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  Speaker 1: but truthfully, all right, tell them honestly about what's going
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: on inside of their own country. I so far, they've
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: not taken me up on that offer. How President Trump
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: has imposed uh tough sanctions on Iran. Do you think
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: they are going to have the effect of bringing it
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: Ran to a negotiating table or not. You have to
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: step back and think about what we're doing more broadly
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: in the Middle East with respect to Iran. It's the
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: warld's largest state sponsor of terror. It has the capacity
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: to continue to work towards developing a nuclear weapons system,
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: which would cause proliferation risks all throughout the Middle East,
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: and so we are very concerned about that as well.
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: Are are Are are chosen strategy was to take a
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: hundred eighty degree term from what the previous administration has done.
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: They created opportunity for enormous wealth for the kleptocrats in
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: Iran and for them to underwrite Hezbollah militious in Iraq, UH,
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  Speaker 1: the Hooties and Yemen that are even as we speak,
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: preparing to continue their attacks on Saudi Arabia. UH. We
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: we've decided to go the other way. We're trying to
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: reduce their resources to conduct terror campaigns all around the world,
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: build out their missile systems and their nuclear program. And
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  Speaker 1: we've been incredibly effective that I remember, David, I'm sure
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  Speaker 1: no one in this room, but many here in Washington
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  Speaker 1: said that American sanctions alone won't work. Well, they've worked.
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  Speaker 1: We have taken over the crude oil that was being
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: shipped by around all around the one. We have taken
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: it off the market. We've done so what I checked
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: when I came in, Brent CREWD is at four uh
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: sent eight percent lower than when we withdrew from the
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: j C p o A. So we have we have
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  Speaker 1: managed both to protect the economic growth that the world
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  Speaker 1: needs while doing our best to denied resources to the
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: Islamic Republic run regual prospect of another Iranian agreement, one
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  Speaker 1: that's more favorable to your point of view and the
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: presidence point of view, is that likely to happen this year,
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: next year, or you just can't predict. I don't do time.
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: I time timelines are a fool's Errand in my business,
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: the Iranians are now enriching uranium at a greater level
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: than they were before. Do you worry that somebody Israel
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: might attack the Iranian facilities or you're not worried about that. Yes,
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  Speaker 1: they're enriching more than they were under the agreement. Their
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: temporary their temporary reduction in enriched uranium has now ended.
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: They're moving back in the wrong direction. We're urging them
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: to think about. But for us, it's not about these
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: levels set in the j c p o A, all right,
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: And it's about the capacity to build at a nuclear
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  Speaker 1: weapons system in a time frame that matters to you
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: and your kids and your grandkids. The previous agreement didn't
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: remotely touch that. In the Middle East, do you see
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: any prospect for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. There's
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: been talk of a plan and UH, do you see
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: any progress being made? So there's a reason it hasn't
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: been solved for forty years or more. UM. In the end, UH,
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: this will be the decision of the Prime Minister of
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: Israel and the leadership UH in the West Bank and Gaza.
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: I I haven't been deeply involved in Mr Kushner's efforts there,
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: but is our position in the United States government position
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: that we prefer a one state solution or a two
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: state solution. You'll see our plan shortly, Okay, we give
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: us a hint or okay we were We prefer with
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: the Palestinians and the Israelis agreed to and what the
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: nature of that relationship will look like. Now, negotiations are
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: underway with the Taliban in the Middle East. The US
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: has involved. Other than that, you see any progress in
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: reducing our need to be in Afghanistan anything and in
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: your future real progress. I try not to do timelines,
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: but I'm optimistic. We're not just negotiating with the talentban
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: that's the story. The truth of the matter is we're
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: talking to all Afghans. So we've spoken with the President
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: Ghani I spoke to him on Friday night or Friday morning, UH,
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: speaking with the opposition, those folks that are not inside
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: the government's speaking with Taliban officials. We have Massa Khalilasade
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: has worked all across Afghanistan with I'M when I was
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: there last, I met with njo's, I met with women's groups,
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: a broad swath of Afghanistan. We want them to take
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: their country back, and we want to reduce what is
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: for us tens of billions of dollars a year and
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: expenditures and enormous risk to your kids and your grandkids
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: who are fighting for America. We we think there's a
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: path to reduce violence, achieved reconciliation, and still make sure
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: that the American counter terrorism effort in Afghanistan UH has
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: a value in the potential to reduce risk here in
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: the States. Before the next presidential election in the United States,
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: would you expect we reduced, reduced our troops in Afghanistan.
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: That's my directive from the President United States. He's been unambiguous,
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: and the endless Wars draw down reduced. It won't just
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: be us, UH, those of you who have served, no
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: that resolute support has countries from all across Europe and
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: around the world. So on Russia, Um, you've met with
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: Mr Putin any times? I assume a few times, Yes, sir.
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: And any impressions of him that you might convey, is
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: he very smart, very tough? Does he understand English that
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: you convey your thoughts to him in English? Or does
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: he have an interpreter? I think I think he speaks
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: English plenty. Well, Okay, Look, he's he's very clear about
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: the things that are in Russia's interest, the things they're
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: working on. Uh. You know, we had a strategic dialogue
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: with them, Uh, that we hope will build into something
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: that handles a broad set of proliferation issues, not just
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: nuclear proliferation issues, but a broad array of proliferations. We
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: hope China will will join that set of conversations. We
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: think today's in today's world, these are humans need to
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: have China be part of them. And I hope that
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: President Putin will support us, and I think he will.
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: You were the head of the CIA at the beginning
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: of this administration. Do you have any doubt that the
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: Russians interfered with our lance presidential election? Oh? None, none, Okay, So,
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: um have been the one before that, and the one
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: before that, and the one before that, and the one
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: in ten. People forget we've had an election since st ip.
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: People say, oh, we have to protect the good people
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: who ran in and cared a lot about us protecting
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: that one. We did so very effectively, and we'll do
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: so again. And it's not it's the last thing. I
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: just I know this town. You know exactly what will
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: get reported, just so you know it. Anxious Russia. That's
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: bad English, try and correct it. Um. There are there
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: are more nations than just Russia who are attempting to
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: undermine Western democracy. That has been true since the founders
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: I created this great nation, and so we have to
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: be ever vigilant. There is legislation that's passed the House
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: and now in the Senate to um and give more
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: resources to keep the Russians from being able to do
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: this again. Is the administration supportive of the legislation and
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: which seems to be blocked right now in the Senate. Yeah,
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: I don't know the details of the legislation. I'm convinced
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: the State Department has all the resource resources it needs
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: to perform It's part of that function. We we have
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: what we need we have the authorities we need, we
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: have the money we need. It's the burden is on
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: me to execute. And have you communicated to Mr Putin
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: that we do not like what he's done before and
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: he shouldn't do it again on a number of occasions.
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: And what's his response? Noted? Okay, that's a that's a
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: diplomatic term for I hear you, brother, so um okay, Um.
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: He doesn't admit anything, I assume, but okay, So with
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: respect to England, there's a new prime minister. You have
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: met bars Johnson before? I have. I met him when
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: I was CI director and uh I believe he was
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: Foreign Secretary at the time. When there's the current Trump administration,
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: support a Brexit or would you prefer that there be
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: a remain or do you not take a position on uh?
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: A confidence in the British people? Okay, Now, the British
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: ambassador had to resign because his cables were leaked by somebody. Um,
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: do you tell your own ambassadors they should be a
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: little bit more careful about what they say to you
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: because somebody could leak what they're alrighty is that a
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: worry not at all? And if I did, they'd ignore me, okay,
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: I mean right, they have a duty, they have responsibility.
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: Our task is for them to tell us what they're seeing.
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: Than we expect that they'll report them accurately, truthfully, candidly,
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: and then our mission is to make sure they don't
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: end up in the Washington Post. Now abas suspect to Mexico, Um,
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: we have been concerned about people coming over the border.
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: Are you confident that the Mexican government is now doing
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: what it can to keep more people from not coming
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: over the border. They are, So they're doing enough, you think,
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: or you know, it's not enough, and they still have
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: a high side of two thousand every day. It's uh,
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: it's unacceptable, and so they need to do more. We
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: need to do more. Congress needs to change the rule.
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: We have to create a deterrence, right, and it has
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: to be the case that those who want to come
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: here legally can and those who want to come by
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: some other mechanism choose not to because they understand that
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: it not they're not going to find a way. I
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: remember this as a member of Congress. People would call
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: my office and say, uh, hey, we we we we
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: live in pick a country around the world. They say
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: they want to come here and get citizenship. And you know, anyway,
• 15:24
  Speaker 1: I won't tell you the joke I told, but but
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: the simplest way to do would be go to Mexico
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: and come on. But what you want to encourage them
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: to do is father paperwork, go through the lawful process,
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: becomes citizens. Were the most welcoming nation in the world.
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: We will always be. But it's not the case that
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: we can be lawless or have our sovereignty broken through
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: having this mass immigration in a non lawful mechanism. It's
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: truly there's a national security risk. Speaking of south of
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: the border Venezuela. Would the U. S. Ever send troops
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: in if that was necessary to keep further violence from
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: occurring there? So you started trying to get me at
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: the beginning, now you're trying at the end. The President
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: is pretty clearly we're gonna do all that it takes
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: to make sure the Venezuelan people get democracy back. And
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: that's the that's the mission said how President Trump has
• 16:07
  Speaker 1: sometimes tweeted things that are not favorable about some people
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: working for him. Uh, he's never tweeted anything unfavorable about you.
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: It's early, it's early, So what is the what is
• 16:17
  Speaker 1: the secret of your success in your relationship with President
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: You didn't know him before he was elected, did you?
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: I did not. I met him the day I uh,
• 16:25
  Speaker 1: I interviewed the BCI director just and who recommended you
• 16:27
  Speaker 1: to be CI in director? I don't know for sure,
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: I don't, I don't, I don't know. I mean, the
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: CIA doesn't have the ability to figure out who recommended you.
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: Should you should thing that you've never believed that I
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: only does for an s Okay, I got I've never
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: been able to convince you. But somebody recommended you. You
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: had an interview with I think the Vice president was
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: likely the person who who I had known and served
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: with as a member of Congress. And did you say
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: I like the C I a job, but I'd like
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: to be Secretary State or this came at of a
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: surprise to you. It was a complete surprise me. I
• 17:00
  Speaker 1: was and I was honored to serve as the director
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: of the Central Intelligence Agency. Okay, so some people say
• 17:06
  Speaker 1: that you should run for the Senate from Kansas. In fact,
• 17:10
  Speaker 1: Mitch McConnell I think has twisted your arm a few
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: times to do that. Um, can you say definitively that
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: you will not run. The filing date is June of
• 17:18
  Speaker 1: two thousand twenty. You probably know so any Uh, I didn't,
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: but thank you for reminding. Okay, so would you consider that?
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: Are you putting that off the table for a while
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: or it's it's off the table. As as a practical matter,
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: I'm going to serve as Secretary of State every day
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: that I get the chance to do so. Look, uh,
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: we all serve at the president of the pleasidents. You
• 17:37
  Speaker 1: talked about that Director Coates, who I have enormous respect
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: for be leaving the administration, saying he's served nobly. Uh.
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: There there's a time for everyone, and I hope I
• 17:46
  Speaker 1: get to do this for a while longer. UM. My
• 17:48
  Speaker 1: experience is that sometimes when people get close to a president,
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: they see the job up close, they say, well, well,
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: I can do that job too. Has that occurred to
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: you that maybe, um, you could do the job, And
• 17:58
  Speaker 1: would you have any interest in running for president at
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: some point in your life? I try to answer this consistently.
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: I have never been able to predict what my next
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: gig will be, and I suspect that's that's the case
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: with respect to this. I I will say this, um,
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: the service that I've had the chance to do. I'm
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: almost twenty years now in federal service. Eighteen years of
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: federal services. In my time in the army, uh and
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: then in Congress and now in the executive branch. It
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: has been a blessing. I hope I've left things a
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: little bit better, and I I do feel an obligation.
• 18:27
  Speaker 1: America has given me an awful lot. Enough I thought
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: I could do a good turn. Um, there's there's nothing
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: I wouldn't consider doing for America. Okay, Let's suppose president
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: is re elected. Would you be willing to serve as
• 18:38
  Speaker 1: Secretary of State for one to three or four years
• 18:40
  Speaker 1: of a second term or have you thought about that yet?
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: I haven't thought about it yet. Uh. You know, hard
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: to know, hard to answer those questions that the real
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: question is what the president still want. Mike Pompeo is
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: a Secretary of State. Okay. So, Um, when you have
• 18:54
  Speaker 1: decisions with the president, meetings with him? Does he best
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: with oral communications, written communications? And what's the process by
• 19:00
  Speaker 1: which decisions are made? Is it through the NFC or
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: informal So there's a very robust NSC process. When I
• 19:08
  Speaker 1: brief him myself, I always prefer to have documents the
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: way I prefer to receive information. UM, so I almost
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: always bring something, uh one page summary at the very
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: least that says here, here's the outline of what it
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: is that I think are the priorities and how we
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: should think about how we should frame this particular problem.
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: And then the President does like to engage in oral exchanges,
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: and I've found them to be elucidating for myself. I
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: often learned things as well. He's very focused on where
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: the money is, how we use economic leverage to achieve
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: our diplomatic ins Now, except when Henry Kissinger was both
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: Secretary of State and NASH Security Advisor at the same time,
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: generally there's been some tension between Secretaries of State and
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: nashcurity advisors. How is your relationship with John Bolton? Yeah,
• 19:48
  Speaker 1: I mean, look, there's there's always tension among leaders of
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: different organizations. We we come at these things with from
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: a different viewpoint, uh, Bassator Bolton has is responsibility to
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: try and make sure all the is are vetted and
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: get to the President, Secretary, Treasury, Secretary of Energy, UH,
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: the Intelligence cann each have their mission sets. There's we
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: have robust libty debates. I agree with each of them
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: often and disagree with most of them sometimes. So in
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: your career, you were first in your class at west Point,
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: So how do you become first in your class at
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: west Point? That's pretty tough. I mean what happened to
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: all the other people who were second, third, and fourth
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: that they become anything? And so one of them is
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: the Secretary Defense, right, So he's a classmate of mine
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: as well. I give him hard time about our relative
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: order of finish. Kay, Now you went to Harvard Law school?
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: Why did you abandon the practice of law? Had a
• 20:42
  Speaker 1: great opportunity. I was practicing law Williams and Connolly here
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: had great partners I worked for I Unlike many, I
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: actually enjoyed my time there. I was older that I
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: had gotten to law school a little bit later, but
• 20:52
  Speaker 1: had a chance to start a business in Kansas with UH,
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: three of my best friends in the whole world. And
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: so started a company that was a machine shop in
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: which you dot Kansas and UH spent the next fifty
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: You once told me you were negotiating with somebody on
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: the opposite side of that deal, and that person wound
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: up to be your wife. Is that true. It's true.
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: She took my money twice. Okay, So what is the
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: best part about being Secretary of State? I love Susan,
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: by the way, so we're still married. It's Everything's good. Yeah,
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: you had to say that otherwise I did. I have
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: friends in the room who are taking texting here right now.
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: All right. So the best part of me being a
• 21:28
  Speaker 1: Secretary State is what you get a chance to help
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: ordinary Americans understand what we're doing and try and deliver
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: them an environment where a few or a few of
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: their kids have to be uh, an armed conflict. That's
• 21:40
  Speaker 1: our mission, said every day, to get American outcomes through diplomacy.
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: And what's the worst part about being Secretary of State?
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: I haven't figured that out yet, right I'm I'm enjoying
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: every minute of what I'm doing. I truly feel that
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: I've been given this, uh this remarkable privilege to serve
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: and I'm trying to do my best to deliver on
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: that every day. Okay, So thank you very much for
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: your service, and thank you very much for coming a character.
• 22:00
  Speaker 1: Thank you all very much. That was U S Secretary
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: of State Mike Pompeio speaking to Carlisle Group co founder
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: David Rubinstein,