Mike Pompeo, while secretary of state, improperly asked a political appointee to carry out personal tasks, a watchdog said in a report published Friday. Pompeo and his wife, Susan, made over 100 requests to employees in the State Department’s Office of the Secretary, including the unnamed appointee, for work of a personal nature, such as picking up personal items, planning events, and mailing Christmas Cards, the department’s inspector general found. The requests “had no apparent connection to the official business of the Department and, thus, appear inconsistent with the Standards of Ethical Conduct regarding use of a subordinate employee’s time,” the watchdog said. Federal rules state that employees may not direct a subordinate to “perform activities other than those required in the performance of official duties or authorized in accordance with law or regulation.” Directing a subordinate to “perform activities other than those required in the performance of official duties …