Mike Pompeo, who once bragged that as CIA director “We lied, we cheated, we stealed,” eulogized his “great friend,” Alex Younger, chief of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service during Pompeo’s time at the CIA, who died on June 3. Along the way, he made some interesting comments about the CIA-SIS relationship. “He flew to Langley to see me the day I was confirmed,” Pompeo said on X on June 8. “We brought our two senior teams together in the UK to plan and coordinate and build in the first several weeks of my time on duty: making clear to them all that this relationship was more than special—it was critical for the security of our two countries.”
“Alex was a remarkable intelligence partner,” Pompeo gushed. “When we needed help, it wasn’t ‘let me see;’ it was ‘this matters to you and America we’ll get it done.’ And he and his team always did. I think he knew we would do the same for him and his team and his nation. Many Americans are alive today because of his leadership of MI6, I never knew how to thank him enough.” Pompeo talked about how their friendship continue after they both left office. “As espionage requires, he was quiet, not attention seeking. He knew what evil was and he was ruthless in his efforts to crush it with every legal tool at his command. And he knew who his friends were and committed himself to supporting them.”