CIA chief upsets Democrats with silence over talks with Korea’s Kim
Pompeo’s path to secretary of state job may be blocked by anger in Congress over secret trip to Pyongyang
MIKE POMPEO, the CIA director, faced growing opposition to his becoming US secretary of state last night as Democrats attacked him for not disclosing his secret meeting with Kim Jong-un to Congress.
Mr Pompeo, who has been nominated by Donald Trump to become America’s top diplomat, was criticised for not divulging details of the clandestine visit to Pyongyang, either in public or private, at a confirmation hearing last week with the Senate foreign relations committee.
Republicans launched a counter-campaign to shore up support for Mr Pompeo.
Tom Cotton, a Republican senator, called opposition Democrats “two-bit Talleyrands” trying to conduct foreign policy from “armchairs”.
Senator Robert Menendez, the top Democrat on the committee, said he would now oppose Mr Pompeo’s nomination when the committee votes next week, as did other Democrats.
Mr Menendez said: “I don’t expect diplomacy to be negotiated out in the open but I do expect for someone who is the nominee to be secretary of state, when he speaks with committee leadership and is asked specific questions about North Korea, to share some insights about such a visit.”
Mr Pompeo would be the first White House nominee for secretary of state not to be approved by the committee in nearly 100 years. Kellyanne Conway, counsellor to the president, accused Democrats of “blind partisanship”. She said: “There is absolutely no legitimate reason – and partisanship is not a legitimate reason – that Mike Pompeo should not receive support.
“He is unquestionably qualified. The president respects him and world leaders know he speaks for the president. The Senate should do what is the right thing for the country.”
Mr Pompeo was already facing opposition from Democrats because of his previous support for the use of torture, and opposition to the Iran nuclear deal. Democrats have also criticised him for comments about Islam, climate change and same-sex marriage.
The White House had hoped to keep Mr Pompeo’s North Korea visit a secret until it was revealed by The Washington Post on Tuesday.