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At another politically charged event, Pompeo told the Prestonwood Baptist Church, an evangelical megachurch in Plano, Texas, that he is \"not allowed to do politics,\" after being asked how attendees could support him and Trump in the 2020 election.

It's a fine line for any senior administration official, between advocating for their boss' priorities and advocating for his or her reelection. But previous secretaries have taken a firmer line against stepping into partisan politics.

\"As secretary of state, I am obliged not to participate in any way, shape, fashion or form in parochial, political debates. I have to take no sides in the matter,\" Colin Powell said in 2004 when he skipped the GOP convention while serving under President George W. Bush.

Powell, a Republican, endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden in this year's election.

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