Mike Pompeo mocked for bizarre tweet about CIA and sexuality

‘There are some serious underlying HR problems if CIA agents are talking to Mike Pompeo about their sexuality’

File image: Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to the media with members of the Republican Study Committee about Iran on 21 April, 2021 in Washington, DC (Getty Images)

The former US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has been mocked for his bizarre tweets claiming a female analyst of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) spoke to him about how she wanted her achievements not to define her, rather than her sexuality.

In a couple of tweets on Tuesday, he recounted that when he was director of the CIA “we valued individuals based on their talent and skill, not their race or sexuality.”

He said he will never forget what one female analyst said to him: “Thank you for valuing me for my work. I want my abilities and achievements to define me, not my sexuality.”

He added: “The collection of incredibly talented patriots serving America at the CIA is what makes it the best spy agency in the world — and we must continue to recruit the best and brightest.

“We can’t afford to risk our national security to appease some liberal, woke agenda.”

The tweets of the former secretary of state have led to a series of tweets expressing disbelief or even mocking him for the claim.

Asha Rangappa, a lawyer and a former special agent of the FBI, asked: “Did she whisper this to you while standing in line at a hipster coffee shop?”

Political analyst Jeff Greenfield tweeted: “Call me madcap, but I am not entirely convinced the conversation happened exactly this way. ("my sexuality"????).”

Mr Pompeo was among the leaders of the Trump administration who had a strong anti-LGBTQ record. The CIA says it does not “just leverage diversity, equity, and inclusion” but embraces and celebrates it, including giving a supportive environment to the members of the LGBTQ community.

Mark Judson, a former US army officer, tweeted: “The ONLY difference between Mike Pompeo and Osama Bin Laden is the specific religious tome which they each perverted to justify their irrational hate and fear. Mike Pompeo is an enemy of human decency.”

Jacob Shamsian, a reporter, said it seems like “there are some serious underlying HR problems if CIA agents are talking to Mike Pompeo about their sexuality.”