It Turns Out Mike Pompeo Never Served in the Gulf War

[riversedge]

April 20, 2018 5:48 pm
It Turns Out Mike Pompeo Never Served in the Gulf War

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/04/it-turns-out-mike-pompeo-never-served-in-the-gulf-war.html




Secretary of State-in-waiting Mike Pompeo never served in the Gulf War, even though media outlets and many of his colleagues have repeatedly said he did, and Pompeo has done nothing to dispute their claims.

Splinter News asked the CIA about Pompeo’s record, and the agency confirmed that while he was in the Army from 1986 to 1991, he never saw action in the Middle East.

A spokesperson said that Pompeo, who is currently director of the CIA, “was in the U.S. Army at the time of the Gulf War — serving until 1991. He was not deployed to that theater.” The war lasted less than seven months, between August 1990 and February 1991.

The discrepancy between Pompeo’s record and public accounts was first brought to light by Ned Price, a former CIA spokesman and special assistant to President Obama, who highlighted a series of inconsistencies on Twitter.

Splinter has a rundown of some prominent instances in which Pompeo’s war record has been cited incorrectly These include articles in The New Yorker and The Wall Street Journal, a letter signed by 51 Republicans expressing support for Pompeo’s secretary of State nomination, and a Marco Rubio speech on the Senate floor. Throughout all this, Pompeo has said nothing to correct the record. It’s possible, though seems unlikely, that he has simply missed all the references to his nonexistent war history. He has been busy, after all.

Pompeo faces fierce liberal criticism for, among other thing, his ultrapartisan Benghazi grandstanding as a congressman and his Islamophobia. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is likely to issue a rare non-recommendation. But at least one Democrat is onboard with his nomination, and Pompeo is almost certain to withstand the barrage to replace Rex Tillerson on a permanent basis.............................................

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Still on track for the State gig. Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

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[democratisphere]

1. Pompeo is an ass kissing fraud.

[Docreed2003]

2. This is a big issue for me as a vet...

I truly hope he's held accountable for this.

[trof]

9. Same here.

I am a Viet Nam ERA vet.
I never actually served in country.
And yes, there's BIG difference.

[sarge43]

10. Ditto

An extreme difference. Claiming or implying otherwise is an insult to all who did.

[HopeAgain]

3. He fits right in

[Iliyah]

4. Phoney boloney's can apply here at yours truly

t-rump, Inc.

[JI7]

5. Meanwhile the media had no problem letting on liars attacking Kerry's service

[karynnj]

14. And questioning a man who earned a silver star and a bronze star with valor served enough

If Kerry were a Republican, they would have been thrilled that their candidate was a real hero, flew planes, rode a motorcycle, and still played hockey in charity games in his 60s.

[onethatcares]

6. ain't no fucking way

anyone that served forgets where and when they served.

I was a Viet Nam era veteran. 1972-1975. Was never in country, hell they sent me to Alaska of all places.

I do not have the right to say I am a Viet Nam vet.

Fucking politicians, I'm beginning to hate em

[BigmanPigman]

7. I knew someone who lied and said he did serve IN Vietnam.

I did the calculations and it didn't add up. Even his mother and friends covered for him until I cornered them with facts (dates, places, etc.) and the truth came out. I never had respect for him or believed anything he told me after that. Why would someone make that up? He didn't benefit in any way either.

[Rabrrrrrr]

8. Considering the vast numbers of people deployed to the war zone during Desert Storm

for him to not have been deployed means he was either a really useless turd, or doing a job that was absolutely critically important.

[George II]

11. I was in the Navy from 1970 to 1972, so I guess I serve "IN" the Vietnam War even though....

...I never left the country.

[calimary]

12. Good to know. Sounds like Donald Rumsfeld.

He’s the ONLY senior-level member of the Bush/Cheney cabal who actually wore his country’s uniform. Other than dubya himself. But neither saw combat. dubya had strings pulled for him to sit out the danger in what was jokingly referred to as the “champagne unit” the Texas Air National Guard. I read his term of service described as “bravely protecting the skies over Texas from the Viet Cong”. Rummy’s case was the luck of the birth year. He served between wars - I believe it was either after Korea and before Vietnam, or after WW2 but before Korea.

[karynnj]

13. This is exactly what they attacked Blumenthal on ( except for Vietnam)

The difference being that no one questions Republican military service, with the noted exception of McCain where some Republicans dispute it.

I doubt this hurts him because it was not something he said, but the fact that he did not correct anyone. There are bigger reasons to oppose him including his terrible comments on Muslims and gays, torture, and the likelihood he lied throughout his hearing.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

15. Ned wrote another tweet asking for people

To find anything that shows Pompeo lying about service

[demtenjeep]

16. he is an arrogant pompous prick

when he was first running, he would go to all the small town parades. In the 4th of July parade I think it was the 2008 or 2010 race He was in my hometown shaking hands and walking the parade route.

I had on a t-shirt that said "I only sleep with Democrats" He shook my sister's hand, my brothers and brother in law and mother in law and walked right by me.

He is not fit for anything Not CIA, not congressman, not dog catcher and certainly not Secretary of State.

[eleny]

17. Wow, another mimsy with a slidy tone

Color me shocked.

Not one damned day can end without a story to shame to country.

[NCTraveler]

18. He will make some stupid comment about it...

And they will call him a fighter.