4/27/2018

MIKE POMPEO/NATO/SECRETARY OF STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A day after he was sworn in as secretary of state, Mike Pompeo arrived at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Friday morning with some words his hosts eagerly wanted to hear as he started a four-day, four-nation trip that will include talks with top allies about Russian aggression and the Iran nuclear deal. President Trump has given European leaders reasons to question his support for NATO, but in a brief welcome ceremony with Jens Stoltenberg, the alliance’s secretary general, Mr. Pompeo emphasized that his presence should be taken as an endorsement. Mr. Trump has frequently been critical of NATO, and his expressions of support appeared to be made grudgingly: He reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which requires that it defend any NATO members that are attacked, only after having first pointedly refused to do so.”

Gardiner Harris, “Mike Pompeo, Wasting No Time, Meets With NATO,” The New York Times online, April 27, 2018