Pompeo cancels last diplomatic trip after European officials reportedly disapproved of him

WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Mike Pompeo abruptly canceled a trip to Europe during his last week as a top diplomat.

The cancellation came after several European officials refused to meet with Pompeo, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The disapproval of European officials comes a week after thousands of President Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, causing shockwaves around the world.

Pompeo, during his last diplomatic mission, was due to travel to Belgium on Wednesday to meet NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes. Stoltenberg and Wilmes, along with a slew of world leaders, publicly described the deadly uprising at the Capitol as “shocking”.

The trip later this week also included a stop in Luxembourg, according to Reuters.

The State Department did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

State spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement Tuesday that the decision to cancel the trip was made in order to continue working with President-elect Joe Biden’s team on a “smooth and orderly transition process.”

“We are fully committed to completing a smooth and orderly transition process to be completed in the next 8 days. Both the President-elect’s department and team have been fully engaged for this purpose for several weeks, and we welcome the level of collaboration and professionalism that has been displayed, ”Ortagus wrote.

Antony Blinken, Biden’s choice to lead the State Department, is expected to provide Pompeo’s team with a list of career officials who will temporarily remain in acting positions until the Senate confirmation process is completed.

Last week, Pompeo confirmed in a tweet that he had a meeting with Blinken and called the meeting “very productive”.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether the two were discussing the deadly riot at the Capitol, which took place just two days earlier.