The Hudson Institute, a leading Washington think tank, announced Tuesday (Jan. 26) that former Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has joined the institute as a senior fellow. At the same Time, David Stilwell, assistant secretary of state for Asia-Pacific affairs at the State Department, became a board member of another U.S. think tank. Both have previously been sanctioned by China. One purpose of the Chinese sanctions was to affect the future employment prospects of both men. It appears that China’s tactic is not working too well.
New jobs for Pompeo, Stalwell
Pompeo tweeted Wednesday, “I am excited to officially join the Hudson Institute as a Distinguished Fellow on Feb. 1 and look forward to contributing to its mission of promoting American leadership and global engagement.”
Sarah May Stern, chair of the Hudson Institute Board of Trustees, said, “Pompeo’s considerable record of public service, combined with his commitment to the values that underlie our mission, will make this an exciting opportunity for collaboration.” She added, “It would be an honor to welcome him to Hudson.”
In addition to this job, Pompeo may be gearing up for a run as the Republican presidential nominee in 2024. The day after Biden‘s inauguration, Pompeo tweeted “1,384 days,” a number that coincides with the number of days until the 2024 presidential election. The U.S. media analyzed that he was counting down to the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
The Hudson Institute, a leading conservative think tank in Washington, is playing an increasingly important role in U.S. Republican politics. A seat at such an important think tank would allow Pompeo to engage in policy discussions in the period leading up to the next presidential campaign, The Hill said. The Hudson Institute announced earlier this week that former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao had joined the institute as a “distinguished fellow.
In addition to Pompeo, David Stilwell, assistant secretary of state for Asia-Pacific affairs at the State Department, has become a member of the board of directors of the East-West Center.
Stilwell’s ties to the East-West Center run deep. Prior to becoming assistant secretary, he was a visiting senior fellow at the East-West Center. Along with Stalwell, three other members of the Trump administration have joined the East-West Center, although it is not known if these individuals are also on the China sanctions list. We welcome the “wealth of experience and vision” that our new colleagues will bring to the table,” said the chairman of the East-West Center’s board of directors.
Former national security adviser Robert O’Brien, who is also on China’s sanctions list, has not yet had his employment reported. However, according to the U.S. Institute of Peace, O’Brien is participating this Friday (Jan. 29) in a seminar on U.S.-China relations with current national security adviser Jake Sullivan. The seminar is co-sponsored by the Institute of Peace and the American Enterprise Institute, the Atlantic Council, the Carnegie Endowment for Peace, the Center for American Progress, the Heritage Foundation and the Hudson Institute.
China’s Sanctions and Its Intentions
Pompeo, Stalwell, O’Brien, and 25 other Trump Administration officials were sanctioned by China just minutes before new President Biden was sworn in and the Trump administration left office. According to Chinese media, one of the intentions of the Chinese sanctions was to close the “revolving door” in Washington politics and cut off the future job prospects of these former officials, and even their families, so that they would feel the “teeth” of the Chinese sanctions.
China’s sanctions statement clearly states that “these people and their families are banned from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, and they and their affiliated companies and institutions have been restricted from dealing and doing business with China.
According to the Chinese media and Chinese scholars, the purpose of the Chinese sanctions is to inflict real pain on those “individuals who intend to work for and profit from U.S. companies and institutions through the revolving door.
Washington’s “revolving door” refers to the phenomenon of U.S. government officials who leave their jobs to work for companies, law firms, think tanks and other institutions or set up their own consulting firms, and then possibly re-enter the government.
The Global Times, a subsidiary of China’s People’s Daily, put it more bluntly in an article titled “28 People Who Hurt China, Now It’s Their Turn to Hurt!” The article is even more blunt. The article said, “These people are about to enter some U.S. companies and institutions after stepping down, but have not yet had time to announce the hiring of them for their positions (some of them may have already found a way out for themselves). But Beijing‘s decision to announce sanctions at this point in time will obviously cause them to experience immediate pain. For, there may be a business or institution that will have to say goodbye to him or her on this.”
Navarro, Bolton, Bannon: Sanctioned by China is an honor and a badge of honor
Among the former officials sanctioned by China, Bolton, Navarro and Bannon have responded explicitly to the sanctions. Bolton, a former national security adviser, took to his Twitter account the day he learned he had been sanctioned, saying, “I was sanctioned by the Communist Chinese government for ‘disgusting behavior. Huge news for Inauguration Day! This is recognition of my tireless efforts to defend American freedom and I accept the honor.”
For his part, Peter Navarro, President Trump’s White House trade adviser, told CNN, “This is a medal from that dictatorial government that killed millions of people with a virus.” Steve Bannon, a former senior strategic adviser to President Trump, also said it was a “badge of honor. He, like Bolton, said he has no interest or desire to visit or do business with China.
Under Secretary of State Keith Krach told The Washington Post that Beijing’s sanctions actually tell Americans what Trump’s policies are working. Krach led the “Clean Sweep Initiative” to remove Chinese influence and Chinese companies from the U.S. Internet, and visited Taiwan in September 2020. On Jan. 25, Clutch tweeted his appreciation for the Biden Administration‘s “rock-solid” commitment to Taiwan.
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