On the recordApril 26, 2018
Mr. President, I rise in support of the President's nomination of Director Mike Pompeo to serve as Secretary of State. Director Pompeo has a very long record of public service which has prepared him for this very important position. Let's start at the beginning. Director Pompeo was top of his class at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and he served honorably in the U.S. Army. He is also a graduate of Harvard Law School. In Congress, Director Pompeo was a leader on issues of national security and foreign relations. Finally, and most recently, as Director of the CIA, Director Pompeo has been a successful leader of the world's best intelligence professionals who work to resolve some of our Nation's most sensitive and difficult problems. I have heard on the floor of the Senate recently a number of my colleagues who have called into question whether he should serve as our Nation's top diplomat. He has served in the military. He has served as Director of the CIA. What I want to do is go back to the time he spent at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. I wish to remind the body that in the military, we serve in many missions, but one of them does include diplomacy. As the Presiding Officer understands, as military members--whether a marine or a soldier--oftentimes during conflicts you stand shoulder-to-shoulder with members of other countries.…





