WASHINGTON _ Mike Pompeo, facing tough questions Thursday in a Senate confirmation hearing for secretary of State, called for using "relentless diplomacy" to avoid war but came under fire from Democrats who questioned whether he would stand up to President Donald Trump when necessary.
Known for his gravelly voice and hawkish views, Pompeo, 54, served six years in Congress and led the CIA since Trump took office. If confirmed, he will replace Rex Tillerson, whom Trump fired on Twitter last month, as America's chief diplomat.
Pompeo told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that his "first priority" if he gets the job is to revitalize the demoralized State Department after a year of staff cuts and high-level departures under Tillerson. "I'll do my part to end the vacancies," Pompeo said.
Pompeo acknowledged that Iran is complying with terms of the 2015 nuclear deal, but he went back and forth as to whether he would seek to fix what he called "its egregious flaws," or withdraw and then try to renegotiate it _ even though European allies and Iran have rejected that possibility.
"If confirmed it will be an immediate personal priority to work with (U.S.) partners to see if such a fix is achievable," he said. Trump has vowed to withdraw from the deal next month unless it is revised.
He did not disavow his 2014 claim, when he was a member of Congress, that the U.S. and its allies could destroy Iran's nuclear infrastructure with 2,000 air sorties. On Thursday, he said he had not disclosed classified information and that he had tossed out a "round number" that could have been 1,000 or 3,000.
He made clear he supports the Trump administration's increasingly harsh approach to Russia, and vowed to toughen sanctions that have targeted Vladimir Putin's inner circle. Moscow "continues to act aggressively, enabled by years of soft policy toward that aggression. That's now over," Pompeo said.
If confirmed, Pompeo also will help plan a proposed high-stakes nuclear summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in coming weeks, a task he was already immersed in as CIA director.
"There is no higher diplomatic task for the State Department team than solving this decades-in-the-making threat to our nation," Pompeo said of North Korea's growing nuclear arsenal.
Pompeo said he read CIA histories of previous failed U.S. negotiations with North Korea and is "confident that we will not repeat the mistakes" of the past. "President Trump isn't one to play games at the negotiating table _ and I won't be either," he added.
He also pledged to rebuild the U.S. diplomatic presence in Cuba, which has dropped to a skeleton staff. President Barack Obama sought to end a half century of hostilities with Havana by re-establishing diplomatic ties in 2015, but Trump has made it more difficult for travel and business.
Democrats used the hearing to criticize Trump's erratic foreign policy, and urged Pompeo to push back when necessary.
"Will you enable President Trump's worst instincts?" asked Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, the ranking Democrat on the committee. "Will you stand up to (Trump) and say 'No, you are wrong,' or will you be a yes man?"
Pompeo said he would express his views forcefully, but carry out the president's policies once decisions were made.
He said he has been interviewed by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who is investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election. He declined to discuss his conversations with Mueller or the president.
A former Republican member of Congress from Kansas, Pompeo is no stranger on Capitol Hill and enjoys considerable support among Republican members of the committee.
"Mike Pompeo is a proven defender of U.S. national security interests, and I have full confidence in his ability to lead the State Department as well as he has led the CIA," Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), a committee member, said ahead of Thursday's hearing.
One Republican member of the committee, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, has said he will oppose Pompeo because of his past defense of harsh CIA interrogation tactics that critics called torture.
Unless Pompeo gains the vote of at least one Democrat, his nomination probably would move to the full Senate "without recommendation." He is likely to win confirmation there, but not without more contentious debate.
Pompeo's critics point to previous comments that activists describe as anti-Muslim.
"He has to account for his record, which has been very hostile to diplomacy as well as to Muslims, both of which are disqualifying factors," said Dylan Williams, chief lobbyist for the J-Street advocacy group in Washington, one of several organizations protesting Pompeo's nomination.
Several protesters attended Thursday's hearing and occasionally interrupted. But Pompeo's Republican support runs deep.
"From West Point to the CIA, Director Pompeo has proven himself as a strong leader for these uncertain times," Republican National Committee spokesman Michael Ahrens said.
Trump fired Tillerson on March 13 after the two repeatedly clashed over policy and style. By contrast, Trump has said he and Pompeo are "always on the same wavelength."
