WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump's pick for his second secretary of State will face his Senate confirmation hearing Thursday, a key test of his mettle and diplomatic skills.
CIA Director Mike Pompeo, a veteran congressman from Kansas and solid conservative, will testify to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The full Senate must then vote to confirm his nomination.
Pompeo passed Senate muster last year to become CIA director. But several activist groups are objecting to his past comments that have seemed derogatory toward Muslims and gay people.
He enjoys considerable Republican support, however.
He is more hawkish on some issues than Trump, although he told senators Tuesday that he would be willing to maintain the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran if it could be fixed.
Trump has threatened to withdraw from the deal in coming weeks.
Last month, Trump announced on Twitter that he had fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, a former CEO of Exxon Mobil. The two routinely disagreed on foreign policy issues.
