CIA Director Mike Pompeo failed to disclose business link to China

Mike Pompeo Joe Raedle / Getty Images

CIA Director Mike Pompeo failed to disclose links to a company owned by the Chinese government during his 2017 confirmation.
The CIA defended Pompeo's omission saying, "He would have no reason to know details on the layers of companies" that worked with a business he ran in Kansas.
But in 2010, Pompeo expressly described the Chinese company as a supplier to his own firm.

CIA Director Mike Pompeo failed to disclose links to a company owned by the Chinese government.

Pompeo, who is set to attend a Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday in hopes of filling the vacant Secretary of State role, left out his connection to a Chinese company during last year's confirmation to become head of the CIA.

According to documents obtained by McClatchy, a Kansas business run by Pompeo imported oilfield equipment from a Chinese government-owned company.

But on his 2017 nominee questionnaire, Pompeo was asked if, in the last decade, he had been "involved in any financial or business transactions with, a foreign government or any entity controlled by a foreign government." In response Pompeo answered "No."

"Mr. Pompeo was president of an American company in Kansas that sold products made in many different countries, Canada and China to name just two. In fact, the paper clips the company used were from Taiwan,” a CIA spokesman told McClatchy. "He would have no reason to know details on the layers of companies that may or may not have had ownership interests in each overseas company that supplied products to his Kansas company."

But that seems not to be the case.

In a 2010 article, Pompeo appears to have told the Wichita Eagle his company provides American jobs because it imports oilfield equipment from China that then needs to be installed and serviced in the US. He also said his company acts as an agent, selling and distributing the pumps from the Chinese company.

Pompeo also said that company, SJ Petro, was a supplier to his firm, SJ Petro Pump Investment. Pompeo was listed as an owner of the latter company in annual filings in 2007, which would have seemingly required Pompeo to answer in the affirmative regarding foreign government business dealings.

SJ Petro is a subsidiary of Sinopec, Asia's largest refiner and is owned by the Chinese government.

In February, Pompeo was one of six intelligence chiefs who indicated a distrust in Huawei phones and said he would not recommend private citizens use the Chinese brand.

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