Tough guy. Smart guy. Koch guy.
He grew up in Orange County California. Dark red, all Republican area until 2018. He graduated first in his class at West Point. In the military for 5 years, in Germany, he left the military as a captain. Went to Harvard Law School. Practiced law in Washington for four years before leaving for Wichita (his mother’s home town) where he and two West Point friends purchased three aircraft part companies and made them into a single entity. Among the investors in the new company were Koch Industries and Bain Capital. He sold out eight years later and became president of an oil equipment firm that was a partner of Koch industries.
He was elected in 2010 to the first of three terms representing KS 04, defeating his nearest rival, state Senator Jean Schodorf, in the Republican primary 39% to 24%. He clinched his victory when the Koch supported Americans for Prosperity PAC spent money attacking Schodorf late in the campaign.
Elected to his fourth term, the new President Trump appointed him to head the CIA. It is worth noting that, at the CIA, he took personal charge of the department investigating links between Trump and his campaign and Russian officials. Two years later, he was appointed Secretary of State.
His two West Point friends are with him. Brian Bulato was the COO of the CIA and is now Undersecretary of Management for the State Department. Swiss-born Ulrecht Brechbuhl, who had been with Bain Capital, joined the new aircraft equipment company as CFO. He later became the CEO of two corporations and now serves as a Counselor in the State Department. Initially, Brechbuhl appeared to be the State Department official on the Trump-Zelensky phone call that Pompeo has now acknowledged having been part of.