Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tells Mitch McConnell he won't run for Senate
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday that he won't run for Senate, according to a source close to McConnell. Pompeo had been considering running for Senate in Kansas, and murmurings of his possible bid were only intensified by frequent trips back to the Sunflower State.
"Leader McConnell spoke with Secretary Pompeo this afternoon where he indicated he will not be running for senate," the source said. "Leader McConnell believes Secretary Pompeo is doing an incredible job as secretary of state and is exactly where the country needs him to be right now."
The political future of the former congressman, turned CIA director, turned secretary of state, has been complicated by his entanglement in the Ukraine controversy. And his failure to defend former the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, brought criticism and concern from the diplomatic community and Democrats.
Pompeo postponed his trip to Ukraine, meant to take place this month, after the attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.
— Kathryn Watson contributed to this story
