4/23/2018

MIKE POMPEO/NOMINATIONS/SECRETARY OF STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in a late pivot on [4-23-18] Monday evening, approved the confirmation of Mike Pompeo to be the next secretary of state, after Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, bowed to pressure from President Trump and dropped his opposition. For days, the committee appeared ready to deliver a historic rebuke. Since it began considering nominees in the late 19th century, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has never given a nominee for secretary of state anything but a favorable vote, according to the Senate historian. It has been almost 30 years since any cabinet nominee was reported to the full Senate with an unfavorable recommendation. But minutes before the committee convened, Mr. Paul, an ardent opponent of interventionist foreign policy, declared his support for Mr. Pompeo, the C.I.A. director, to lead the State Department, securing approval from the committee.”

Nicholas Fandos, “After Late Vote Switch, Senate Panel Approves Pompeo for Secretary of State,” The New York Times online, April 23, 2018