Pompeo was given a $5,800 bottle of whiskey. The State Department is trying to find it

A $5,800 bottle of Japanese whiskey given to then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo by Japan is missing, prompting an ongoing State Department inquiry to locate the spirits.

The federal government disclosed the investigation on Wednesday in an obscure public notice listing gifts from foreign governments to American officials. The notice declares the disposition of the whiskey as unknown.

A footnote says only that the State Department “is looking into the matter and has an ongoing inquiry.”

Pompeo received the whiskey on June 14, 2019, according to the notice. He was in Saudi Arabia that day, responding to tensions in the Middle East.

Pompeo, a former Kansas congressman, has been followed by ethics investigations stemming from his time as secretary of state. An inspector general inquiry concluded that he and his wife, Susan Pompeo, had misused State Department staff for personal matters. The report detailed more than 100 instances of misconduct that “had no apparent connection to the official business of the Department.”

Since leaving office, Pompeo has traveled the country promoting Republican candidates. A potential 2024 presidential contender, he has made multiple trips to Iowa and other key states. In May, he visited Wichita to accept an award at a fundraiser for the anti-abortion group Kansans for Life.

Whether he would have ever had personal custody of the bottle is unclear, given that the secretary typically travels with an entourage of aides. All gifts to secretaries of state go through the Diplomatic Gift Unit in the State Department’s Office of the Chief of Protocol.

“Pompeo has no idea what the disposition was of this bottle of whiskey,” William A. Burck, an attorney for Pompeo, said.

A State Department spokesperson didn’t answer a question about what steps it was taking to retrieve the missing whiskey or identify who took possession, instead referring The Star back to the report footnote.

The New York Times first reported Wednesday on the missing bottle.

The State Department’s Office of Protocol is required to record gifts given to U.S. officials and keep track of their disposition. Recipients have the option of returning gifts of a certain value over to the National Archives or another government entity or purchasing them for personal use by reimbursing the Treasury Department for their value.

In June 2019, Pompeo also received a lapis bowl and tray worth $1,030, a blue suitcase containing perfumes and dishdashas — a long white robe — valued at $915, and a $1,670 eagle statue, among other items.

As justification for accepting the whiskey, the notice says non-acceptance would “cause embarrassment to donor and U.S. government” — a common explanation that appears on other gifts listed in the notice.

The U.S. Constitution’s emoluments clause prohibits American officials from accepting gifts from foreign governments. Federal workers are also barred from taking gifts valued at more than $390.

The whiskey brand isn’t included on the notice, but some rare bottles can sell for thousands. Washington-based Bourbon Concierge lists an 18-year-old Yamazaki Japanese single malt for $5,999.

The Associated Press contributed reporting