U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, faced intense questioning about the ongoing Russia probe, his relationship with the president, and hotspots around the globe during his confirmation hearing Thursday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
“I’m not going to talk about the conversations the president and I had,” Pompeo said in response to a question from the committee’s top Democrat, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, regarding Trump’s well-publicized disdain for former FBI director James Comey as well as the current special counsel investigation.
“I’m with the president an awful lot, and he has never asked me to do anything that I considered remotely improper,” Pompeo added.
Senators of both parties stressed the need for a secretary of state who can navigate an often-stormy White House and stand up to the president, when needed.
“You have developed a close relationship with the president…many strong voices have been terminated or resigned [under Trump],” Chairman Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican, said.
“The American people are deeply worried by an erratic president who uses schoolboy taunts when talking about nuclear war,” Menendez said. “Will you be a voice of reason [in the Trump administration], or will you support the president’s worst instincts?”
In his response, Pompeo pointed to his background as a former U.S. military officer.
“I know some of you have read the stories – I’m [described as] a hawk, a hardliner,” the nominee said. “There’s no one like someone who has served in uniform who understands the value of diplomacy and the terror and tragedy that is war…The best outcomes are always won at the diplomatic table.”
Pompeo stressed he has no illusions about Russia’s intentions as a U.S. adversary.
“I take a backseat to no one with my views of the threat that is presented to America from Russia…This administration will continue to take real actions to push back [against Moscow], to reset the relationship with respect to Russia,” he said.
A former Republican member of Congress, Pompeo opposed the international nuclear accord with Iran negotiated during the former Obama administration.
Trump nominated Pompeo to be secretary of state after abruptly firing Rex Tillerson from the post last month.
With one exception, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Republican senators are expected to back Pompeo’s nomination. Most Democrats are withholding judgment, but some have expressed concerns about Pompeo’s hawkish stances and questioned whether he is a good choice to serve as America’s top diplomat.
