Political Quotes

“we are about to vote on cloture on the nomination for Secretary of State. I, once again, just to summarize, express my opposition to Mike Pompeo serving as this Nation's top diplomat. As I said earlier this week in committee, I am genuinely disappointed to be casting a vote against the Secretary of State nominee. I believe the United States needs an effective leader on the global stage, but at the end of the day, as I considered Director Pompeo's nomination, including his hearing, his past statements, and recent revelations, I have lingering concerns, which I outlined in detail yesterday on the floor and will not go through in detail here again. I do want to say, though, in listening to the remarks of some of my colleagues this week, I was struck by how easily some characterize legitimate concerns about a nominee as a purely partisan act. I was struck by suggestions that somehow Democrats obstructed this nomination. Democrats on the Foreign Relations Committee agreed to every request of the chairman in the process of considering this nomination. We held hearings on the date the chairman requested. We held the business meeting to vote on the nomination on the date the chairman requested. We sent the nomination to the floor. Yesterday, we had an opportunity to debate the nomination on the Senate floor, and today we will vote. That is not obstruction. That is a fair and appropriate process--agreed on in a cooperative manner.…”