WASHINGTON _ Barring a last-minute change of votes, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is expected Monday to reject secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo in an embarrassing rebuke of President Donald Trump's foreign policy.
It would be the first time in years that a nomination for such a high-level Cabinet position did not receive backing at the committee level. Despite the snub, the full Senate is expected to approve CIA Director Pompeo's nomination later this week thanks to a handful of Democratic votes.
Republican lawmakers blamed Pompeo's difficulties on political partisanship, noting that many of the Democrats who oppose him now backed his nomination last year to head the CIA. He was confirmed by a vote of 66-32.
Trump took to Twitter early Monday to excoriate Pompeo's opponents as "Obstructionists," claiming that Democrats "will not approve hundreds of good people" by "maxing out" the confirmation process.
"We are in an era where somebody like this, who is qualified, unfortunately, is likely to be voted out without recommendation or with a negative recommendation," Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), chair of the committee, said Sunday on CNN. "It's just sad that our nation has devolved politically to this point."
But Democrats argue that the job of America's top diplomat _ fourth in line to the presidency _ is vastly different from CIA chief. They voice concern that Pompeo would act as a hawkish advocate for military force, not diplomacy, and would fail to serve as a counter-balance to Trump.
Born in Orange, Calif., Pompeo graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and Harvard Law School. He was elected to the House in 2010 as a tea party Republican from Kansas and served until he went to the CIA.
Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations committee, said he feared Pompeo would be a "yes man" to Trump's "worst instincts."
"I believe our nation's top diplomat must be forthright, and, more critically, (Pompeo's) past sentiments do not reflect our nation's values," Menendez said last week in announcing his no vote. "The American people deserve better."
Democrats and other opponents have cited Pompeo's past statements, which critics called anti-Muslim and prejudicial against gay people. Pompeo said in his confirmation hearing earlier this month that he would respect minorities.
Menendez also said he was disillusioned that Pompeo had concealed, in private conversations, his then-secret trip to North Korea over the Easter weekend.
Pompeo met with ruler Kim Jong Un to help plan a proposed summit with Trump by mid-June. The White House hopes to persuade Kim to abandon his nuclear arsenal, an unlikely proposition. It was Kim's first meeting with a U.S. official.
Republicans have a one-vote majority on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, has said he will oppose Pompeo, which would block his approval.
Trump has said he was doing some last-minute lobbying to bring Paul back to the fold, however.
All Democrats on the committee are expected to vote against Pompeo, 54. But the nomination can advance to the full Senate regardless, and there, several Democrats, many facing tough re-election battles in conservative states, have indicated they will support Pompeo.
Like Trump, Pompeo has voiced vehement opposition to the landmark 2015 deal that curbed Iran's nuclear development efforts.
Trump has threatened to abandon the accord on May 12, when the next deadline for sanctions renewal comes up. In his confirmation hearing, Pompeo said he would rather "fix" the deal by revising its terms than scrap it altogether.
Iran has rejected any attempts to rewrite the deal, and over the weekend its foreign minister said the country might resume its nuclear activities if Trump pulls out.
If confirmed, Pompeo will succeed Rex Tillerson, whom Trump fired last month via Twitter after about a year on the job.
Tillerson, a former CEO of ExxonMobil, trimmed the State Department budget and staff during his tenure, demoralizing the diplomatic corps. Numerous senior positions remain empty.
In his confirmation hearing, Pompeo vowed to rebuild staffing and morale.
