President Trump’s decision to replace Secretary of State Rex Tillerson confronts CIA Director Mike Pompeo with a “rigorous confirmation process,” Senate Democrats warned.
“Director Pompeo has served his country in multiple capacities, and I look forward to a rigorous confirmation process to consider his nomination,” New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said Tuesday.
Menendez, who espouses more hawkish views foreign policy views than many Democrats, shared Pompeo’s frustration with the Iran nuclear deal when they both served in Congress. Other Democrats on the committee took a sharper tone towards Pompeo, who has led the CIA since Trump took office.
“Secretary Tillerson was a poor secretary of state because he systematically and intentionally weakened American diplomacy,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said Tuesday. “But we should all be alarmed by his ouster because President Trump seems to want someone who does the same thing, only faster and while fawning over the president.”
While the Democrats may object to Pompeo, Republicans still have the majority on the committee and — if they so choose — can completely ignore the Democratic objections to Pompeo.
