Results 1 to 3 of 3

Thread: Pompeo could be the first secretary of state nominee to receive an unfavorable committee vote

  1. #1

    Pompeo could be the first secretary of state nominee to receive an unfavorable committee vote

    since 1925.

    https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/13/polit...ted/index.html

    It's starting to look like Mike Pompeo might not get a favorable vote from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to support his nomination as secretary of state, after three Democrats (and at least one Republican) on the panel have signaled they'll vote against the current CIA director.

    Nominations can advance to full confirmation without a favorable recommendation from committee, but it is relatively uncommon.

    But is this the first time? According to the Senate historian's office, there are no instances of a secretary of state nominee receiving an unfavorable committee vote since 1925.

    Prior to the mid to late 1920s, nearly all executive Senate committee business was done in closed session, so there was no public record for these actions, the office added.

    There have been nominees who came out of committee without recommendation, but were then confirmed, including:

    In the Judiciary Committee

    Clarence Thomas (Associate Justice of the Supreme Court)
    J Leon Holmes (District Judge)

    In the Foreign Relations Committee

    M Larry Lawrence (Ambassador to Switzerland)

    In the Rules and Administration Committee

    Steven Walther (FEC)

    According to a Congressional Research Service report, from 1987-2016, no nominee was confirmed after being reported unfavorably by a committee.
    In 1989, John Tower was reported unfavorably by the Armed Services Committee and then rejected to be defense secretary by the Senate 47-53.
    And In 2005, John Bolton -- now serving as President Donald Trump's national security adviser -- was reported without recommendation by the Foreign Relations Committee, and then rejected twice on cloture votes to be the US ambassador to the UN before recess appointed.

    In interviews with CNN, Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine and Jeanne Shaheen -- who sit on the panel and backed Pompeo's nomination to be CIA director -- say they are harboring concerns with the nominee, a clear signal they may vote against him.

    In addition, Republican Rand Paul also told CNN that the hearing "really solidified" his opposition to Pompeo.



  2. Remove this section of ads by registering.
  3. #2
    https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/15/polit...ate/index.html

    Sen. Tim Kaine to oppose Mike Pompeo for secretary of state

    Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia said Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation" that he will vote against former CIA Director Mike Pompeo for secretary of state because of what Kaine called the nominee's "anti-diplomacy disposition."

    "We have a president who is anti-diplomacy," Kaine said. "And I worry that Mike Pompeo has shown the same tendency to oppose diplomacy."

    Kaine cited Pompeo's opposition to the Iran nuclear deal when he was a member of the House of Representatives and said Pompeo "spoke about the relative ease of wiping out Iran's nuclear capacity with a bombing run."

    In a written statement released after his appearance on CBS, Kaine called such a move "an unrealistic scenario" and wrote that Pompeo also "stands out in advocating US action to change out the governments" of North Korea and Iran.

    Kaine said he voted for Pompeo to become CIA director because he thought his intelligence background made him well-suited for the position, but he is now voting against him for secretary of state because he does not want someone who is going to "exacerbate President Donald Trump's weaknesses rather than uphold our diplomatic legacy."

    "You've seen President Trump try to underfund the State Department in USAID, not appoint key ambassadors, tweet out insults about foreign leaders, back the United States out of international agreements and organizations," Kaine said.

    "We need a secretary of state who is going to stand up for strong diplomacy," he added, "and I don't believe that is Director Pompeo's inclination."

    Several lawmakers expressed doubts about Pompeo after his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday.

    "There are fundamental areas of disagreement that we have, and I think that was true in the questioning," Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire said in an interview with CNN after the hearing. "So he answered some of those questions but from my perspective, he just gave the wrong answers."

    Republican Rand Paul also told CNN the hearing "really solidified" his opposition to Pompeo.

    If Paul and Shaheen join Kaine in voting "no," Pompeo won't have enough votes to win a favorable recommendation from the committee. According to the Senate historian's office, there are no instances of a secretary of state nominee receiving an unfavorable committee vote since 1925.

    But in an extraordinarily rare move, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell could still bring up the nomination on the floor of the Senate despite the negative vote in the committee. If that would occur, Pompeo would need the support of at least one Democratic senator, given Paul's opposition and the continued absence of Sen. John McCain, who is recovering from brain cancer. And behind the scenes, Pompeo has been working to lock down support from moderate Democrats, including ones in tough races, to push him through on the floor.

  4. #3
    https://www.politico.com/story/2018/...clinton-512155

    Pompeo asks Clinton for advice as he preps for confirmation battle

    As a sharply partisan Republican member of Congress, CIA Director Mike Pompeo tormented former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over her response to the deadly 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya, which Pompeo called “morally reprehensible.” He also once liked a tweet that branded her successor, John Kerry, a “traitor.”

    But now that Pompeo faces a tough confirmation process to become secretary of state himself, he has reached out to Clinton and Kerry, as well as every other living occupant of the office, to ask for guidance. Clinton, for one, has been willing to help.

    “These were lengthy calls seeking advice” from the former secretaries, a person familiar with Pompeo’s prep work told POLITICO. “He understands the gravity of the challenge before him.”

    While juggling his day job at the CIA, the person said, Pompeo has been participating in briefing sessions at the State Department, reading thick stacks of material, much of it country-specific, and participating in mock Q&As to prepare for a sure-fire grilling before U.S. senators. He’s also talking to a range of people at the State Department, including career civil and foreign service staffers who felt sidelined under former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

    It’s part of Pompeo’s mixture of crash course and charm offensive as he prepares for a Thursday confirmation hearing before a closely divided Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Although no one thinks Pompeo has had a political conversion, he seems determined to gain some Democratic votes — and demonstrate more respect for his predecessors and future employees than did Tillerson, who never spoke at length to either Kerry or Clinton and who alienated his department’s rank and file.



Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 131
    Last Post: 04-27-2018, 01:48 AM
  2. CIA director nominee Mike Pompeo: WikiLeaks not a credible source
    By CaptainAmerica in forum U.S. Political News
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 01-13-2017, 10:19 PM
  3. Replies: 0
    Last Post: 06-28-2014, 01:41 AM
  4. Senate Confirms Kerry as Secretary of State in 94-3 Vote
    By Brett85 in forum U.S. Political News
    Replies: 26
    Last Post: 01-29-2013, 10:01 PM
  5. Replies: 32
    Last Post: 01-26-2011, 12:17 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •