Mike Pompeo Bailed on His Controversial Christmas Party Because Almost No One Wanted to Go

The Republican party has regularly mocked and ignored Coronavirus restrictions. Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown called out his Republican counterparts for their refusal to wear masks on the senate floor. Melania Trump took off her mask before reading to patients at a children’s hospital. And Donald Trump, of course, held numerous super spreader rallies in the run-up to the election.

Mike Pompeo also made waves in early December for inviting over 900 people to a Christmas party. The majority of attendees, though, were smart enough to decline the invitation. And after most of his guests said they weren’t coming, Pompeo himself bailed on the event.

According to the Washington Post, “Pompeo, whose name was on the invitation and who was scheduled to speak at the event, canceled his speech and tapped a substitute speaker, said the two officials. The event was dedicated to the family members of diplomats serving overseas in dangerous postings that require them to leave their spouses and children behind, such as in Iraq or Afghanistan.”

Around 70 people had RSVP’d to the event. The Post reports that even fewer than that number actually showed up to the party.

The event had drawn heavy criticism from Democrats including New Jersey senator Bob Menendez. Menendez sent a letter to the Secretary of State which read, “I am concerned that these parties pose a significant health risk, not only to attendees, but to the employees and workers who must staff these events, as well as to State Department employees who may feel pressured to attend.”