berchman Loc: South Central PA

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department said Wednesday it’s looking into the apparent disappearance of a nearly $6,000 bottle of whiskey given more than two years ago to then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo by the government of Japan.

In a notice filed in the Federal Register, the department said it could find no trace of the bottle’s whereabouts and that there is an “ongoing inquiry” into what happened to the booze. The department reported the investigation in its annual accounting of gifts given to senior U.S. officials by foreign governments and leaders.

The department’s Office of Protocol is required to record gifts given to U.S. officials and keep track of their disposition. Recipients have the option of turning gifts of a certain value over to the National Archives or another government entity or purchasing them for personal use by reimbursing the Treasury Department for their value.

The Japanese whiskey was valued at $5,800 and was presented to Pompeo in June 2019, presumably when he visited the country that month for a Group of 20 summit that was also attended by President Donald Trump. But unlike other gifts, the department said there was no record of what had become of the bottle.

“The department is looking into the matter and has an ongoing inquiry,” it said in the Federal Register notice. The notice offered no additional detail. A spokesman for Pompeo could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.

Lying, corrupt, religious fanatic Republicans.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

Maybe they just haven't found it, seems to me that most of the bureaucrats in DC couldn't find their ass with both hands. Maybe you are just a lying corrupt Demonic that pollutes these threads.

JRiepe Loc: Southern Illinois

Lying and corrupt could describe certain members of either party. We're all smart enough to know neither party has a monopoly on that.

InfiniteISO Loc: The Carolinas, USA

OK, let me get this straight. Someone gives you booze and just because it's expensive booze you're not allowed to drink it? Sure, $6,000 dollars is a lot for a bottle of whiskey, but as a gift of influence, it's pretty piss poor. I'm not going to shepherd in any trade deals based on a bottle of booze that probably cost the giver nothing. This is some penny-ante, liberal bean-counter trying to stir the pot. All Pompeo has to say is that he left it in his desk drawer when he moved out of his office and some Biden flunky must have taken it.

Our company policy when someone gives us a very expensive gift is to keep the gift, note the gift to our immediate managers, and then make the vendor or customer aware of the threshold of value of gifts that we are typically allowed to keep without issue. If they give us an expensive gift again, we politely refuse it. No one would give any of us a bottle of booze that expensive, but if they did, it would get drunk, probably over the course of a decade

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

"Lying, corrupt, religious fanatic Republicans"? Seems to me that you are the fanatic.

Kraken Loc: Barry's Bay

berchman Loc: South Central PA

My friend's father was the chief engineer of the NYC subway system. Every Christmas gifts (bribes) poured in. He refused to keep any of them, no matter how small. That's how honest he was. Fat, religious fanatic Pompeo guzzled his $5800 whiskey. Believe it.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

Poor little Berchy, crying about a bottle of whiskey that he has no real idea as to what happened to it. Obviously Pompeo declared it, you don't know what became of it, you are just a maladjusted complainer.

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

There are good reasons for laws concerning federal employees accepting gifts—no matter the value. Not really hard to understand.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

So you have Pompeo convicted without evidence! Typical democrat. So federal employees are not allowed to accept gifts but they are allowed to take major campaign contributions to PACs and Party Campaign funds, we all know that major corporations and foreign governments find a way to purchase our government..... then we have the lucrative jobs awaiting these folks when they leave office, just look at the Obama's and the Clintons, both worth in excess of $100 million, neither had any money to speak of when they entered the White House.

JRiepe Loc: Southern Illinois

Hope Maxine Waters doesn't find and drink it. She's radical enough sober.

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

I said nothing about Pompeo. I have no idea whether he did anything wrong—and I don’t care. You have become a but unreasonable with impulsive responses.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

Live with it.

thom w Loc: San Jose, CA

What does your companies policy have to do with federal law? If you get stopped for going 90, would you say "our company policy is"?

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

Simple solution, just have Pompeo pee in the bottle and give it back.