FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): It’s another big get for the Allen County GOP.

Less than a month after announcing that U.S. Senator Rick Scott of Florida would be the keynote speaker at the local GOP’s Reagan Bean Dinner on October 8th of this year, Party Chairman Steve Shine announced over the weekend that former Secretary of State and CIA Director Mike Pompeo will be the top speaker at the party’s 2022 Lincoln Day Dinner, which is currently set for April 26th, 2022 at the Grand Wayne Center in downtown Fort Wayne.

Shine gives specific credit to IU Health Fort Wayne President Brian Bauer, saying his relationship with Pompeo led to the invitation.

“The Allen County GOP continues its tradition of bringing to Allen County nationally prominent GOP leaders who recognize that northeast Indiana has a loyal Republican base which is second to none,” Shine said. “The Allen County GOP is not only known statewide for being Indiana’s premier political organization, but also, throughout the country as well. This is evidenced by having such notable keynote speakers over the past few years such as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, United States Senator Lindsey Graham, and the upcoming visits of Senator Rick Scott and Secretary Pompeo.”

Pompeo, a former United States Army officer, served in Congress from 2011-2017, representing Kansas’ Fourth Congressional District. In 2017, Secretary Pompeo was appointed by President Trump to serve as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, a position which he held until 2018, when President Trump appointed Pompeo to become the Country’s 70th United States Secretary of State, a position held until the end of the Trump administration in 2021.

Secretary Pompeo has been a harsh critic of the ruling Communist Party of China accusing China, among other things, of committing genocide and crimes against humanity such as Muslim minority groups in China, as well as China’s suppression of information regarding the origin of COVID-19.  He has previously stated that China has exploited the free and open society of the U.S., by sending propagandists to U.S. colleges, research centers, and news conferences.  Secretary Pompeo has stated that after nearly 50 years of U.S. engagement with China, a different, tougher approach is needed, in that China has bitten the international hands that are feeding it.

Details for the 2022 Lincoln Day Dinner will be released by the end of January, and Shine expects it to sell out quickly.