Pompeo Says A State Department Official Has Died From Coronavirus

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo participates in a press briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on January 10, 2020. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says a State Department official has died from the coronavirus, the first American fatality among the U.S. diplomatic corps from the pandemic.

Pompeo didn’t give details about the official who passed away or where the person contracted the disease. He says about four to five dozen State Department employees had tested positive for the virus, including locally employed staffers at a handful of the 220 U.S. embassies and consulates abroad.

On Monday, State Department health officials said at least two locally employed staff members had died from the virus.

Those officials say they were tracking 105 confirmed cases among the agency’s global workforce of about 75,000. Of those, 75 are overseas and 30 are at State Department offices in the United States in nine cities.

Latest News

Notable Replies

  1. I don’t know what to say about this, it wasn’t unexpected, but then Petty PompousAss will just soldier on carrying Trump’s banner.

  2. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says a State Department official has died from the coronavirus,

    Time for McConnellesque link to Hillary and Benghazi.

  3. Pompeo response? Staff attrition, nothing more…

  4. Didn’t he mean to say the “Wuhan” virus?

  5. Rest In Peace.

    Truth be told…Too bad it not someone more deserving Covid!

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

16 more replies

Participants

Avatar for discobot Avatar for srfromgr Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for dont Avatar for hagarwood Avatar for lastroth Avatar for longtimeobserver Avatar for dickweed Avatar for pine Avatar for gusfabriani Avatar for birdford Avatar for uneducated Avatar for coimmigrant Avatar for jills Avatar for grants Avatar for maximus Avatar for jrw Avatar for spacesaver Avatar for randome Avatar for Paracelsus Avatar for Hatmama

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: