Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said Tuesday that former CIA director Mike Pompeo does “not yet” have his confirmation vote for secretary of state, even though he supported Pompeo as director of the CIA.
“I am legitimately undecided,” King told CNN Tuesday morning.
Does Mike Pompeo have Sen. Angus King’s vote for secretary of state? “Not yet,” the Independent senator says, noting that he’s “just not sure he’s the guy who will be a moderating influence” on President Donald Trump. https://t.co/oJHjta3JwR pic.twitter.com/UFf2j0GF0L
— New Day (@NewDay) April 17, 2018
King said being head of the CIA and secretary of state are two very different jobs, and said it’s not clear to him Pompeo is right for the State Department.
King said the job of CIA director is reporting intelligence and passing the information along to the president, while secretary of state is a policy position, where the person who holds the job title is speaking on behalf of the U.S. and advising the president on how to act.
“I’m concerned about some of the positions he’s taken in regard to possible aerial strikes against Iran, North Korea, Islam, in the past,” King said. “He had good answers in the committee, but I think you have to look beyond just the testimony at the committee and say, ‘What’s this fellow’s overall record.’”
King said he had to weigh the good things about Pompeo with the bad before deciding if he wants to confirm him for secretary of state or not.
“I’m just not sure he’s the guy who will be a moderating influence on a president who seems to make important decisions rather quickly,” King said.
King’s remarks underscore a potential problem for Pompeo: the potential for Democrats who supported him at the CIA refuse to support his nomination to the lead the State Department. Republicans have a 51-49 majority in the Senate, and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has already said he won’t vote for Pompeo, which means he might need a few Democrats to get a majority.
