Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spent $40,000 in taxpayer money on lavish dinners for Republican politicos, according to documents obtained by government watchdog organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. The total disclosed amount, $43,546, represents the cost for food and drink at the events, called “Madison Dinners.” NBC News reported earlier this year that Reba McIntre, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Brian Kilmeade are just some of the names that have appeared on guest lists for the nearly two dozen dinners Pompeo has hosted since being appointed the nation’s top diplomat in 2018. In September, Politico reported that Pompeo would be restarting the dinners, despite guidelines against large indoor gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number is unlikely to represent the full costs of the dinners, according to CREW, as the price tag for a harpist and a photographer at one of the events is not accounted for within the documents.
