Mike Pompeo Concedes, ‘No One Gets to Keep Classified Information,’ Still Rips DOJ Over Mar-a-Lago Raid

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Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo conceded on Monday that no one – not even a former president – is allowed to possess classified materials outside of an appropriate setting.

That includes former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, which was raided by FBI agents on Aug. 8.

Pompeo, who appears as though he is laying the groundwork for a presidential bid, made the comment in New York on Sunday.

As he addressed an event for the Israel Heritage Foundation, an attendee asked Pompeo, “What is Donald Trump up to?”

At a private dinner hosted by Rabbi Katz and the @IHF_Heritage. @mikepompeo was the honorary guest. One of the guests asked
What’s president Trump up too ? Pompeo stated ” no one gets to keep classified information outside of a place of classified information ” #Trump #NYC pic.twitter.com/6gb4NyMwqj

— Viral News NY (@ViralNewsNYC) September 19, 2022

A clip circulating online shows the question was not asked in the context of Trump’s legal issues stemming from the Justice Department raid that unearthed classified materials. That did not stop Pompeo from commenting on the matter.

“So, the question is, ‘What’s President Trump up to?'” Pompeo said with a laugh. “He’s down at Mar-a-Lago watching the FBI raid his home. He added:

What happened there is outrageous. No one gets to keep classified information outside of a place classified information should be. That is certainly true. Secretary of state – former secretary of state doesn’t get to keep it, no one does.

But for the Department of Justice to behave the way they did by raiding the home of a former president is absolutely outrageous. And it is politicizing a Department of Justice that I fear is headed in a way that is not consistent with the understandings that we all have of the rule of law here in the United States.