Questions Overshadow Melania Trump, Pompeo Speeches on Republican Day Two

First lady 👤Melania Trump will make the case for Donald Trump’s re-election on the second night of the Republican National Convention on Tuesday, while Secretary of State 👤Mike Pompeo will address the convention in a break with norms discouraging partisan political activity by the nation’s top diplomat.

Republicans nominated Trump for a second term in the White House during Monday’s opening day of the convention, painting a dire portrait of America if Democrat Joe Biden wins the White House in November.

On Tuesday, 👤Melania Trump will cap the program with a speech from the White House Rose Garden in Washington, and Pompeo, believed to be eyeing a run for the presidency in 2024, will speak from Israel while on a diplomatic trip to the Middle East.

Both appearances have drawn criticism from Democrats, who question whether the use of the White House – where Donald Trump will give his acceptance speech on the South Lawn on Thursday – may lead to violations of the 1939 Hatch Act, which restricts federal employees from engaging in certain political activities.

Pompeo plans to speak from Jerusalem even though he warned diplomats in July that presidential appointees should not take part in partisan activity, according to an unclassified cable reviewed by Reuters and sent to all U.S. diplomatic and consular posts abroad.

Biden’s deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said Pompeo’s decision to give a political speech during an overseas mission is a “blatant use of office for overtly political purposes” that undermines the critical work being done by the State Department.