• Pompeo sworn in as secretary of state, dashes off to Europe,
WASHINGTON — Mike Pompeo took over as America’s top diplomat Thursday after being confirmed by the Senate and sworn in across the street minutes later. The new secretary of state — President Donald Trump’s second, and the United States’ 70th — immediately dashed off to Europe in an energetic start befitting the highstakes issues awaiting him from Iran to North Korea.
The hard-charging former CIA director was confirmed on a 57-42 vote — one of the slimmest margins for the job in recent history. Every past nominee to get a roll call vote since at least the Carter administration received 85 or more yes votes in the Senate, with the exception of Mr. Trump’s first secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, who got 56.
He was sworn in at the Supreme Court by Justice Samuel Alito, a fellow Italian-American, who said he was “proud” to officiate for the occasion. Mr. Pompeo, in a statement relayed by the State Department, said he was “delighted” to serve as America’s top diplomat.
“I am completely humbled by the responsibility and looking forward to serving the American people and getting to work right away,” Mr. Pompeo said.
Then it was off to Andrews Air Force Base, where a government aircraft was waiting to ferry him to Brussels for meetings at NATO headquarters.
Mr. Pompeo, a former Republican congressman from Kansas, is expected to guide Mr. Trump’s foreign policy farther to the right than Mr. Tillerson, the former Exxon Mobil CEO fired last month. He inherits a diplomatic corps deeply dispirited by the tenure of Mr. Tillerson, who pushed budget and staff cuts while leaving key diplomatic positions unfilled.
His confirmation creates a vacancy atop the CIA that will be filled, at least for now, by Gina Haspel, the intelligence agency’s No. 2 official.
For Mr. Pompeo, a long list of pressing issues awaits, including a decision on the Iran nuclear deal, Mr. Trump’s upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and ongoing disagreements in the White House about the future U.S. role in Syria.
Mr. Trump said he was pleased by Mr. Pompeo’s confirmation, calling him a “patriot” with “immense talent, energy and intellect.”
“He will always put the interests of America first,” Mr. Trump said in a statement. “He has my trust. He has my support.”
Mr. Pompeo was supported Thursday by all the Republican senators and by six Democrats, including several up for re-election in conservative-leaning states.
In Brussels, Mr. Pompeo will attend a NATO foreign ministers summit and meet with the top diplomats from Turkey and Italy.