CIA Director Mike Pompeo Confirmed By Senate As Secretary Of State

The Senate confirmed CIA Director Mike Pompeo on Thursday as the next secretary of State in a 57-42 vote.

Though many Democrats opposed his nomination due to his hawkish foreign policy views, Pompeo ultimately received the support of six Democrats and one independent

During his tenure as CIA director, Pompeo became a trusted advisor of President Donald Trump and has played a key role in preparations for Trump’s planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Pompeo met secretly with Kim over Easter weekend to lay the groundwork for direct talks between Trump and the North Korean dictator. It was the highest level meeting between officials from the U.S. and North Korea since 2000, according to The Washington Post.

In his first act as secretary of State, Pompeo will leave for Brussels to attend a meeting of NATO foreign ministers this week.
Pompeo replaces Rex Tillerson, who was fired by the president in March. John Sullivan has filled in as acting secretary of State since Tillerson’s dismissal.

Tillerson was viewed as a moderate within the administration, frequently disagreeing with Trump over key foreign policy issues such as the president’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and his threats to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal.

Pompeo, on the other hand, is a foreign policy hawk who sees eye to eye with the president on Iran in particular. After Trump was elected president, Pompeo wrote on Twitter that he looks “forward to rolling back this disastrous deal with the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.”

Trump has nominated CIA Deputy Director Gina Haspel to succeed Pompeo at the helm of the intelligence agency. Haspel’s nomination has faced controversy due to her role in a CIA “black site” in Thailand that held al-Qaeda suspects after the Sept.11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Courtesy : CNBC
Photo : Washington Examiner

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