The US Senate voted on Thursday to appoint former CIA chief Mike Pompeo as secretary of state, in time for him to lead the US delegation to NATO foreign minister talks in Brussels this weekend and to arrange a summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the coming months.
Pompeo’s approval came after a bruising battle by Democrats against Trump's nominee. Pompeo, who earned Trump's confidence after a year at the CIA, was accused by Democrats as being too bellicose.
But after barely getting the nomination past the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Pompeo was easily confirmed by the entire body in a vote of 57-42, with a handful of Democratic senators facing tough re-election battles voting in favor.
Pompeo replaces Rex Tillerson, the former oil executive Trump fired in March after a year of tensions and turmoil in the State Department, where he alienated much of his staff and left the body deeply demoralized.
But where Tillerson was seen as a voice for moderation in the Trump administration, Pompeo is viewed as a hawk who could combine with new White House National Security Advisor John Bolton to back more aggressive posturing by Trump on the world stage.
In the run-up to Pompeo's confirmation, his backers emphasized his resume as a West Point and Harvard Law School graduate and former congressman who enjoys a close relationship with Trump particularly on North Korea. Pompeo, as CIA director, traveled to Pyongyang over Easter after being nominated for secretary of state.
"He's the perfect person to come in at this time and lead those efforts" on North Korea, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said on the Senate floor moments before Pompeo was confirmed.
Pompeo will take the helm at the State Department ahead of Trump's expected decision on May 12 about whether to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and re-impose sanctions on Tehran. Pompeo, a staunch Iran critic, has long deplored the 2015 nuclear accord, but has supported Trump's efforts to get European allies to strengthen restrictions on Iran.
"If there's no chance that we can fix it, I will recommend to the president that we work with our allies to achieve a better outcome and to achieve a better deal," Pompeo said in his confirmation hearing earlier this month.
