04.23.18

McConnell: Hard to Imagine Someone More Thoroughly Qualified Than Mike Pompeo

‘Today, our colleagues on the Foreign Relations Committee will vote to report the president’s choice for the next Secretary of State… In Mike Pompeo, the United States will have a chief diplomat who enjoys the total confidence of the president, and who’s uniquely qualified to reinvigorate our Foreign Service and represent our interests abroad. I look forward to upholding the tradition of this body and voting to confirm him this week.’

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the president’s nominee for Secretary of State, Director Mike Pompeo:

“Today, our colleagues on the Foreign Relations Committee will vote to report the president’s choice for the next Secretary of State. It is hard to imagine someone more thoroughly qualified than Mike Pompeo. His career is a success story on every level. He graduated first in his class from West Point, served as a U.S Army Officer, and attended Harvard Law School. Then came success in business. And then Mike’s neighbors elected him to Congress in 2010.

“That impressive resume explains why, a little more than a year ago, a large bipartisan majority of Senators voted to confirm Mike as CIA Director. His qualifications were obvious. And by all accounts, Mike’s track record at the CIA shows that vote of confidence was exactly the right decision. He has demonstrated mastery of the daily briefings he both receives and delivers.

“His high-quality counsel on sensitive matters has won the confidence not only of our national clandestine service, but also of our Commander-in-Chief. And he has returned our CIA to the aggressive gathering of foreign intelligence. Along the way, Mike has built a reputation for listening to all points of view, trusting career staff, treating everyone fairly, and acting decisively.

“In Mike Pompeo, the United States will have a chief diplomat who enjoys the total confidence of the president, and who’s uniquely qualified to reinvigorate our Foreign Service and represent our interests abroad. It is hard to imagine a better nominee for this mission, at this moment, than Mike Pompeo. I look forward to upholding the tradition of this body and voting to confirm him this week.”

Related Issues: National Security, Nominations