By: Ken Blackwell – stream.org – April 19, 2018

When the news broke on Tuesday night that CIA Director Mike Pompeo had met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, I was not surprised. Pompeo had long ago established his importance to this administration and his understanding of geopolitics. Pompeo’s skills are precisely why the president nominated him to be the next Secretary of State. It’s absurd that Democrats are reluctant to confirm him.

Considering the increasing gridlock in the Senate over President Donald Trump’s nominees, this is a good time to remind our Democratic friends of Pompeo’s many qualifications. These qualifications have only increased since he earned Democratic support to become CIA Director just last year. Obstructing such a nominee would be a bad look indeed for vulnerable red state Democrats ahead of their upcoming elections.

Pompeo’s Remarkable Résumé

Pompeo’s résumé is remarkable: First in his class at West Point. Five years in active service during the Cold War. Harvard Law School graduate and editor of the Harvard Law Review. Entrepreneur, member of Congress, Director of the CIA. It’s a résumé that sounds like a movie script, the kind of experience and accomplishments that carry appeal across party lines. These experiences have prepared him to serve as America’s top diplomat and implement the president’s America First foreign policy.

It is vital that our diplomats have the knowledge and experience to handle delicate matters of national security and international peace. Pompeo would bring both attributes to the State Department.

Leading the CIA, Pompeo worked in tandem with allies and partners to advance American interests like preventing terrorism and safeguarding the integrity of democratic elections. He also confronted those who threatened our interests and security. Pompeo’s CIA acted quickly last year to provide the president with a high-confidence assessment that the Syrian regime had used chemical weapons against its own people. This laid the groundwork for the missile strikes against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Under Pompeo’s leadership, the CIA was able to strengthen U.S. intelligence on North Korea, leading to the interdiction of shipments to the Hermit Kingdom in violation of U.N. sanctions.

The Senate Confirmed Him Before

When I served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission, I saw firsthand how vital it is that our diplomats have the knowledge and experience to handle delicate matters of national security and international peace. Pompeo would bring both attributes to the State Department. The Senate acted swiftly to confirm Pompeo when President Trump nominated him for his current role as the director of the CIA last year. It should act swiftly to confirm him again.

The Senate confirmed him for his current position at the CIA by a 66-32 vote. Among the Democrats who voted yea were senators Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), Joe Donnelly (Ind.), and Claire McCaskill (Mo.). If these senators obstruct Pompeo’s nomination ahead of their elections, how will they explain that to their voters? The skills he showed at Langley won’t travel to Foggy Bottom?

What’s Changed? Pressure From the #Resistance

So what, exactly, has changed since then?

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Source: Pompeo: A Proven Leader for the State Department