Trump’s Pompeo rant: President tweets frustration at ‘obstructionist Democrats’
President Donald Trump has taken to Twitter to vent his objections to the possibility that Democrats will prevent Mike Pompeo from being approved as secretary of state in the Senate.
“Hard to believe Obstructionists May vote against Mike Pompeo for Secretary of State,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “The Dems will not approve hundreds of good people, including the Ambassador to Germany. They are maxing out the time on approval process for all, never happened before. Need more Republicans!”
Hard to believe Obstructionists May vote against Mike Pompeo for Secretary of State. The Dems will not approve hundreds of good people, including the Ambassador to Germany. They are maxing out the time on approval process for all, never happened before. Need more Republicans!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 23, 2018
Pompeo was CIA director before being picked by Trump to replace Rex Tillerson as the country’s top diplomat in March. His appointment has been met with opposition from those who point to Pompeo’s hawkish, anti-Muslim stances, along with his defense of torture and climate change denial.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will vote on recommending Pompeo on Monday, and may not have enough votes to do so as all 10 Democrats and Republican Rand Paul don’t want him in the position. The rest of the Senate is expected to have their say on his appointment even if the committee doesn’t recommend him.
CIA awards Saudi prince medal for anti-terror efforts https://t.co/eeRHc0BmfH
— RT (@RT_com) February 11, 2017
The former Tea Party-aligned Kansas congressman holds an anti-Iran stance and agrees with Trump that the Iran nuclear deal is “disastrous.” He is an outspoken critic of Russia, along with WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange.
As a supporter of an increased surveillance state, Pompeo has called for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden to be given the death penalty. Pompeo received $375,000 in donations from conservative super-donors Charles G. and David H. Koch during his six years in Congress.
Trump’s comments about the German ambassador refer to former UN spokesman Ric Grenell, who, despite being voted by the committee for approval, has had his confirmation in the senate delayed by Democrats for months. Democrats are accused of deliberating using a Senate procedure stating 30 hours of debate should be given to each nominee before voting in order to block Trump nominees.
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