(CNN) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's wife asked State Department staff to help send personal family Christmas cards, according to an email exchange obtained by the State Department Office of Inspector General as part of an investigation into potential misuse of taxpayer resources, a source familiar with the investigation told CNN. The request from Susan Pompeo, which was first reported by McClatchy , was sent to State Department aide Toni Porter, who testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee last month that she had assisted with personal Christmas cards and felt uncomfortable with the task. That testimony came as part of a probe from congressional Democrats into the ouster of State Department Inspector General Steve Linick at Pompeo's behest in May. As part of that probe, Linick testified in early June that his office was looking into five matters of potential wrongdoing at the State Department, including potential misuse of taxpayer resources. Pompeo defended his wife Monday evening, telling Fox News, "The fact that they're picking on my wife, who has done yeoman's work as a volunteer to try to make life better for every officer at the State Department, I find pathetic and sad."

Source: CNN September 15, 2020 03:22 UTC