The Washington Post called on Democrats to confirm Mike Pompeo, currently the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, as secretary of state.
“Democrats who pressed Mr. Pompeo on his record, including his questionable statements about Muslims, have legitimate concerns,” the paper said in an editorial Thursday night, just hours after Pompeo’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “But rejecting or delaying his nomination, as Mr. Trump juggles multiple crises without adequate counsel, probably would make an already parlous situation worse. Mr. Pompeo should be deployed to Foggy Bottom in the hope that he will fulfill his promise to revive and reassert U.S. diplomacy.”
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., aggressively questioned Pompeo on past comments he has made about gays and Muslims, including in 2013 when as a congressman he suggested Muslim-Americans were “complicit” in the Boston Marathon Bombings by not more publicly denouncing the terrorist attack.
President Trump nominated Pompeo to replace Rex Tillerson as the nation’s top diplomat.
