The Patriot Post® · Pompeo Takes on China

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo addressed the National Governors Association this weekend. It may seem odd that America’s top diplomat was addressing our governors, who are generally preoccupied with domestic issues rather than foreign policy. 

But Secretary Pompeo wanted to speak to this audience, and he had a stark warning for them: China’s Communist Party (CCP) is “working” them and their key advisors. Pompeo told the governors that the CCP has compiled a report with dossiers on all 50 governors labeling their positions toward China as “friendly,” “ambiguous,” or “hardline.”

In short, Pompeo warned the governors to be alert to the threats posed by Beijing and to do what they can at the state level to safeguard America’s interests. He cited several examples of Chinese diplomats pressuring state and local officials, including a Chicago high school, over Taiwan.

He urged governors to redirect state pension funds away from technology companies that aid Beijing’s brutal suppression of speech and religious liberty and to avoid investing in companies that support the People’s Liberation Army.

I was pleased to see that Secretary Pompeo also warned the governors about China's Thousand Talents program and about the Confucius Institutes, funded by the Chinese Communist Party, on many of our college campuses.

While trade with China certainly can be beneficial for American companies and workers, in the past it has rarely been free or fair. In fact, it has often come at a very high price. Kudos to the Trump administration for continuing to call out the worst aspects of China’s predatory behavior.

Fighting for Faith

Last week I had the privilege of speaking at a panel discussion on religious freedom around the world. The event coincided with the National Prayer Breakfast and took place at the Museum of the Bible. 

Much of my comments focused on rising anti-Semitism and Christian persecution in China. You can watch the event here. My remarks begin around the 1:38:30 mark.

Draining the Swamp

Washington elites were horrified by the news Friday afternoon that President Trump “fired” Lt. Col. Alex Vindman from his position at the National Security Council and that he had Vindman escorted from the White House complex. Many in the media said it was retribution for his impeachment testimony.

As the head of the executive branch, the president has the authority to dismiss people who work for him. Clearly, the president had no confidence in Vindman’s abilities, and for good reason. 

It’s also worth remembering Vindman’s testimony. He never accused the president of any crime and simply seemed upset that Trump was ignoring the “consensus policy” set by the National Security Council. Well, President Trump doesn’t work for the National Security Council. It’s the other way around!

By the way, Vindman isn’t the only NSC staffer to be shown the door in recent days. The Trump White House has eliminated 70 NSC positions in an effort to reduce Obama’s bloated bureaucracy and drain the swamp, just as the president promised.

Mitt’s Mess

Sen. Mitt Romney returned to Utah last week to address furious voters outraged by his support for the left’s attempt to impeach President Trump. Sen. Romney said he knew there would be consequences, and he was right about that.

Not only are his poll numbers down significantly, there are efforts in the state legislature to censure Romney, to recall Romney, and to distance the state from Romney by expressing support for President Trump.

If he chooses to seek reelection, Romney doesn’t have to face the voters again until 2024. That’s a long time from now and perhaps voters will forget. Then again, they will be periodically reminded about his unique status in the party. 

For example, what does Romney do this November? It’s hard to see how he could endorse Trump for reelection after voting to impeach him. 

Romney was praised multiple times during Friday’s Democrat debate, and he will undoubtedly be featured prominently in Democrat attack ads against vulnerable Republican senators this November.

Meanwhile, it’s worth remembering that Mike Lee is a senator today because he defeated an incumbent perceived to be out of touch by many Utah voters. 

The Socialist Party Debate

There were several revealing moments during Friday night’s Democrat presidential debate in New Hampshire. 

To his credit, George Stephanopoulos pressed the candidates about whether they had any concerns with the Democrat Party being identified by Bernie Sanders and socialism. Only one candidate, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, expressed any reservation at all about the socialist stigma. The other candidates were too afraid of alienating the party’s socialist base. 

That didn’t sit well with liberal MSNBC host Chris Matthews, who slammed Sanders for his past support of communist regimes and noted that socialism “isn’t free” and “doesn’t work." 

Meanwhile, there’s been talk in recent days that former Mayor Pete Buttigieg is emerging as a "moderate” alternative to Sanders. Only in this leftist arena could he possibly be considered a moderate!

Buttigieg is all in on the left’s “fundamental transformation of America.” He wants to abolish the Electoral College. He has also called for a court-packing scheme that would add another six left-wing ideologues to the Supreme Court, expanding it to 15 justices, making him more radical than Ruth Bader Ginsburg! 

By the way, Buttigieg once praised Bernie Sanders as “outstanding and inspiring” for having the “courage” to identify as a “socialist.”

Abortion was another big topic at Friday’s debate. Joe Biden and others promised to appoint only pro-abortion judges. All the candidates support late-term abortions performed on innocent unborn babies, and yet they all opposed taking out Iranian terrorist Qassem Soleimani. Think about that!

Incredibly, Buttigieg has even used his faith to suggest that life beings at first breath. Talk about unscientific! Any biology textbook will tell you that life begins at conception. What are doctors operating on in utero before birth, if not a human life? Buttigieg’s defense of third-trimester abortion is a breathtaking distortion of science and faith.

In other news, it seems like Joe Biden has given up trying to win New Hampshire. He insulted another voter, this time using another of his throwback phrases. 

Not long ago, Biden had Millennials rushing to Google to learn the meaning of “malarkey.” He did it again Sunday when a woman questioned his electability after his poor showing in Iowa. Biden bizarrely responded by calling her “a lying dog-faced pony soldier.”

No one really knows what he meant by that. Biden told reporters it was a line from a John Wayne movie, but so far no one has been able to verify that.

Final Results? Not Yet

Late Sunday, the Iowa Democrat Party announced the final results of last week’s caucuses. While Bernie Sanders won the popular vote, Pete Buttigieg is being awarded 14 delegates to Sanders’s 12. Elizabeth Warren will receive eight delegates, Biden six, and Amy Klobuchar gets one delegate. 

The Sanders campaign isn’t accepting the result and has demanded a recanvass. 

Meanwhile, the fallout from the caucus chaos continues. DNC Chairman Tom Perez is fighting off calls for his resignation from members of the socialist Squad.   

In fact, the situation is so bad that even the left-wing media can’t ignore the growing “despair” caused by the growing “Democrat disarray & dysfunction.”