Amid speculation about a possible presidential run, Mike Pompeo’s political action committee spent more than $30,000 on media training from March to June 2021, according to data from the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
Apart from payroll, the spending was the most on any service during the first six months of last year, records show.
The former secretary of state has been working to hone his media skills following his return to the airwaves, having signed on as a Fox News analyst last April.
FEC data shows the payments went to a firm run by GOP strategist and Pompeo adviser Brett O'Donnell.
A Pompeo spokesperson declined to comment on the payments or the former secretary's media-training regimen.
Spending reports for the second half of last year are due next week.
Though he recently made headlines when the New York Post reported his 90-lb. weight loss, Pompeo has denied any political aspirations for 2024.
"The truth is, I'm really getting ready for 2044 and hoping I'll be around in 2054," he told the Post, alluding to life with future grandchildren.
Since landing his spot at Fox, Pompeo has been providing network and cable news shows with conservative analysis and commentary, especially on foreign policy.
He recently joined "Fox News Sunday" to discuss a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine and defended the Trump administration's stance toward the Kremlin.
"Vladimir Putin respected us [during the Trump administration]," Pompeo said. "We had respect for him and his power. He is a very talented statesman. He knows how to use power. We should respect that."
Underwriting the new group with money leftover from his old House campaign committee, Pompeo formed Champion American Values PAC in February 2021 and has lent his name to a number of GOP fundraising campaigns ahead of November’s midterm elections.
The committee was renting office space during the first six months of last year from the Washington-based Institute for Energy Research, an industry-aligned nonprofit, records show.
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