Pompeo confirmed as CIA director; tense ties with White House remain
WASHINGTON — Mike Pompeo was confirmed as CIA director by the Senate on Monday, putting the conservative Kansas congressman in charge of an agency that is bracing for its most contentious relationship with the White House in decades.
As CIA director, Pompeo will be responsible for managing a global spying network at a time of escalating security problems, including renewed aggression from Russia, the nuclear ambitions of North Korea and the splintering terror threat posed by the Islamic State.
But, at least initially, Pompeo’s most vexing task may involve finding a way to establish a functional relationship between the CIA and President Donald Trump.
Trump traveled to CIA head- quarters Saturday, in a trip that was an effort to create a fresh start with an agency he has frequently treated with contempt. Instead, what Trump delivered Saturday was largely a stream-of-consciousness airing of grievances.
Michael Morell, the former deputy director of the CIA and a supporter of Hillary Clinton, said that he has “come to admire” Pompeo after the two engaged in a series of conversations since Pompeo was tapped for the job. Morell said he expects Pompeo to arrive at the CIA without any preconceived notions, putting off any decisions until he has had a chance to survey its work.
“Pompeo has two key challenges: winning over a workforce a bit skeptical of him … and making the CIA’s voice heard at the Trump White House,” Morell said. “I know Pompeo, and he will succeed at the first challenge. The second will be the defining issue of his tenure as director.”