This holiday season, don’t party like a Pompeo
The U.S. State Department informed staff this week that Mike Pompeo’s final big holiday bash of the season — and presumably the last of his reign as Secretary of State — has been postponed “due to unforeseen circumstances.”
Turns out Pompeo was exposed to someone who tested positive for the coronavirus, The Washington Post reports, and he’s in quarantine.
“Unforeseen.”
That’s comical.
Because honestly, who could have foreseen this outcome?
Maybe the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, which urged Americans to avoid large gatherings during the holidays — particularly indoors, where the virus spreads more easily.
Maybe the White House Coronavirus Task Force, which consistently advises against social gatherings of more than 10 people and said Americans under 40 should “assume you became infected” if their Thanksgiving gatherings involved anyone outside of their immediate families.
Maybe Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who said even family gatherings should be limited to fewer than 10 people.
And maybe countless medical experts and epidemiologists who urge caution, patience, vigilance and empathy — and skipping huge holiday soirees — to help everyone weather the COVID-19 surge.
But Pompeo and his wife, Susan — who never met a lavish, taxpayer-funded dinner they didn’t like — ignored the warnings and forged ahead with their holiday galas, inviting hundreds of people to party like it’s 2019.
The American Foreign Service Association, whose members include active-duty and retired U.S. diplomats, called on Pompeo to cancel the parties, urging State Department leadership “to reverse course and model responsible behavior in accordance with its own guidelines.”
A message from the State Department last month urged employees to change “any non-mission critical events” to “virtual events as opposed to in-person gatherings.”
But Pompeo, like John Belushi in “Animal House,” vowed to party on — in person.
Christmas parties are mission critical? Guess the tuxedo was feeling lonely.
A State Department news release said all events followed the department’s “Diplomacy Strong” virus protocols, which included a mask requirement for all attendees and temperature checks at the entrances.
“We’ve taken every precaution to thin out the number of individuals,” the statement said. “We do not anticipate any problems . . . in these indoor spaces.”
As we’ve learned, though, masks, social distancing and temperature checks aren’t foolproof, and the best way to limit exposure is to avoid it altogether. Abstinence, it turns out, is the only completely effective way to prevent unwanted coronavirus.
So Pompeo’s run of potential superspreaders has ended early, but not before he and who knows how many others were exposed to a virus that has killed more than 300,000 Americans.
That’s nothing to celebrate.
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This story was originally published December 17, 2020 at 12:00 PM.
