Senators, former national security officials, and editorial boards have called for Mike Pompeo to be “swiftly” confirmed as Secretary of State, praising him as a “foreign policy heavyweight,” an “excellent leader,” and “adept at tough diplomacy.”
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO (R-WY) IN THE HILL: Mike Pompeo is the Right Man for the State Department
“The president’s choice, Director of Central Intelligence Mike Pompeo, understands that safety and security at home require a world that is peaceful and stable. Mike Pompeo has the intelligence, the integrity, and the experience to serve as America’s secretary of State…. Mike knows the issues, he knows the people, and he is the right person for this job. He will be an excellent representative for our nation, and a seasoned veteran to implement President Trump’s foreign policy.”
SEN. DAVID PERDUE (R-GA) AT FOX NEWS: Trump’s North Korea Policy is Succeeding
“Moving forward, we must remember what got us to this point: President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign. We should recognize and act on the additional efforts to keep up the pressure. The U.S. Senate should also move swiftly to confirm Mike Pompeo as secretary of state, given the critical talks at hand.”
FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT SENIOR ADVISER CHRISTIAN WHITON IN THE HILL: North Korea is Moved by Pompeo Diplomacy, But Dems Dig in Deeper
“By essentially all accounts, Pompeo performed extremely well as CIA director, managing and reforming that sprawling bureaucracy and helping to defeat ISIS, among other accomplishments. Now he’s shown himself to be adept at tough diplomacy even without the title and trappings of being secretary of State.”
FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL SENIOR DIRECTOR MICHAEL ALLEN IN THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER: Mike Pompeo Isn’t Just Qualified to be Secretary of State — He’s Ready
“We would be hard-pressed to find a nominee with greater experience and expertise. As a West Point graduate, a Harvard-trained lawyer, a former member of Congress, and director of the CIA, Pompeo is more than qualified to lead the State Department…. Pompeo’s deep understanding of world affairs, his clear-eyed view of the threats to our national security, and his key relationships with world leaders make him an excellent choice to be our top diplomat.”
FORMER DEPUTY UNDERSECRETARY OF DEFENSE LT. GEN. WILLIAM BOYKIN AT REAL CLEAR DEFENSE: Pompeo Is Ready to Lead
“Mike Pompeo has the leadership, experience, instincts, and training to be successful as the next Secretary of State…. Mike Pompeo has proven to be an asset to President Trump. Throughout his time at the CIA, he has focused on helping beef up our cybersecurity capabilities and pushing back against Russian aggression, terrorist organizations, and North Korea and Iranian nuclear ambitions. He has all the qualifications to be an outstanding Secretary of State.”
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EDITORIAL BOARD: Who Needs a Secretary of State?
“Sens. Feinstein and Kaine and 12 other Democrats voted to confirm Mr. Pompeo as CIA director—he was confirmed 66-32—perhaps because he’s so well qualified. Mr. Pompeo is a West Point and Harvard Law graduate who served three terms in Congress, and along with fellow Republican Tom Cotton unearthed the Obama Administration’s secret side deals with Tehran. He has invigorated the CIA clandestine service, tried to give Mr. Trump options on North Korea, and has gained the President’s trust.”
NEW HAMPSHIRE UNION LEADER EDITORIAL BOARD: Opposing Pompeo: Shaheen’s Skewed Priorities
“Shaheen, for all of our differences, has been one of the grown-ups in Washington on foreign policy. Yet she will not support Pompeo, a distinguished and qualified foreign policy heavyweight, because he is a conservative…. As CIA director, he has been a professional, demonstrating his competence and qualification to be secretary of state…. Pompeo deserves Senate confirmation.”
THE WEEKLY STANDARD EDITORIAL BOARD: Party Over Country
“There is no question Pompeo is qualified. He graduated from West Point at the top of his class. He served as a tank officer in the U.S. Army and patrolled the Berlin Wall before its fall. He went to Harvard Law School and was an editor of its famous law review. He built a successful business and, after his election to the House of Representatives from Kansas’s Fourth District, established himself as a leader on foreign policy and national security issues. He served three terms in Congress, and then Trump picked him to run the Central Intelligence Agency…. Pompeo is a smart, thoughtful leader who has the trust and the ear of the country’s president. He’s used his influence to shape Trump’s thinking on such difficult issues as Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, and North Korea.”
AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY COUNCIL FOUNDING PRESIDENT HERMAN PIRCHNER, JR IN THE HILL: Democrats Have Good Reason to Confirm Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State
“Mike Pompeo should be promptly confirmed as secretary of State because he is well qualified, but also because this is an extraordinarily dangerous time for the United States to be without an effective secretary of State…. Pompeo’s credentials are, or course, superb: first in his class at West Point, a Harvard law degree, a distinguished (if brief) career in the House of Representatives, a tenure as CIA director marked by both competence and vision. The accolades go on and on.”
NATIONAL SECURITY INSTITUTE SENIOR FELLOWS ANDY KEISER AND LESTER MUNSON AT REAL CLEAR POLITICS: “Pompeo Will Make an Impressive Secretary of State”
“President Trump’s nomination of CIA Director Mike Pompeo as the next secretary of state is a wise choice for the future of our nation’s foreign policy. Pompeo is a knowledgeable foreign policy leader and excellent representative of the United States on the world stage…. Pompeo has proven himself to be an excellent leader of a critical national security agency, a successful negotiator and diplomat. His qualifications were hailed across party lines when 14 Democratic senators voted to confirm him as CIA director.”
