Mike Pompeo. (Getty/ Joe Raedle)
Former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has been relentlessly mocked on Twitter for a bizarre anecdote about spies, sexuality and inclusion that “definitely happened”.
On Tuesday (4 May), Pompeo, who worked to undercut LGBT+ human rights under Donald Trump, took a questionable trip down memory lane to when he was director of the CIA.
He wrote on Twitter: “When I was director of the CIA, we valued individuals based on their talent and skill, not their race or sexuality.
“I’ll never forget what one female analyst said to me: ‘Thank you for valuing me for my work. I want my abilities and achievements to define me, not my sexuality.’”
Pompeo added in a second tweet: “The collection of incredibly talented patriots serving America at the CIA is what makes it the best spy agency in the world — and we must continue to recruit the best and brightest.
“We can’t afford to risk our national security to appease some liberal, woke agenda.”
Oh yeah man for sure, this definitely happened
— Brooke Binkowski (@brooklynmarie) May 5, 2021
Hilarity ensued, with one Twitter user adding: “‘I am a real person, not someone invented for an anecdote,’ she continued.”
Another wrote: “I know what you mean. I once encountered a talented female woman who said nothing to me, but with her eyes let me know she was grateful for my appreciation of her female ability to sit quietly on the train across from me.
“It was a proud moment for me and for everyone on the train.”
When I was outside today this bee landed on me and said, “Thank you for valuing me as a bee. I want my pollination skills to define me, not my insectuality.”
Then it said you were ridiculous and we had a good laugh.#pompeo pic.twitter.com/3hqBM0hmqY— Witch of Owl Cottage (@hexeducation) May 5, 2021
Unsurprisingly, Mike Pompeo seemed unsure of the difference between sexuality and gender.
Some on social media suspected Mike Pompeo might be a little confused about the different between sexuality and gender.
Can you just take a sec and Google “sexuality” and then “gender” pls? TY!
— Clare O’Connor (@Clare_OC) May 5, 2021
And this *really* happened. And she was Q. And she found evidence of election fraud. And led members of the Deep State to execution. But first, she stopped the CIA director in a hallway to discuss her sexuality -which doesnt mean gender, it means if she was a lesbian or straight.
— Kurt “Masks Save Lives” Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) May 5, 2021
Author Kurt Eichenwald responded: “And this *really* happened. And she was Q. And she found evidence of election fraud. And led members of the Deep State to execution.
“But first, she stopped the CIA director in a hallway to discuss her sexuality – which doesnt mean gender, it means if she was a lesbian or straight.”
One Twitter user added: “She said ‘sexuality’? Or ‘gender’? Because ‘sexuality’ is a really odd thing to say in that context. Unless you’re just making it up.”
She said “sexuality”?
Or “gender”?
Cause “sexuality” is a really odd thing to say in that context.
Unless you’re just making it up.
— OutdoorDad (@OutdoorDad05) May 5, 2021
The irony of a former CIA director telling an anecdote that was less than credible was not lost on Twitter.
Weird, I assumed folks at the CIA were better at lying than this.
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) May 5, 2021
One person pointed out: “I’ve been a strong critic of the CIA, but I always assumed it employed real humans, rather than entities that spoke like that.
“Either aliens whose ‘regular person simulation software’ needed tweaking worked for you, or you are the only spy-chief who lacks the ability to lie in public.”