Donald Trump's CIA director confirmed as Mike Pompeo, despite torture concerns
Updated
The US Senate has confirmed Mike Pompeo to be President Donald Trump's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director, despite some politicians' concerns he might expand surveillance or allow the use of Enhanced Interrogation Techniques, which are widely considered torture.
Key points:
- Pompeo takes helm at time when Trump has been critical of intelligence agencies but also said he is "behind" them
- Democratic Senator says Pompeo is "wrong man for the job", "has endorsed extreme policies"
- Democrats playing politics, Senate intelligence committee chairman says
The vote was 66-32.
Mr Pompeo takes the helm at the nation's top spy agency at a crucial time for US national security as intelligence — traditionally a nonpartisan issue — has been thrust into the political arena.
Mr Trump has been critical of intelligence agencies after their assessment of Russian involvement to help him win the election — but has also said he is fully behind them.
Senate Republicans had hoped to vote on Mr Pompeo's nomination on Friday, after Mr Trump's inauguration, but Democrats succeeded in stalling action until they could debate.
Democratic Oregon senator Ron Wyden said Mr Pompeo was the "wrong man for the job".
"He has endorsed extreme policies that would fundamentally erode liberties and freedoms of our people without making us safer," Mr Wyden said.
He said Mr Pompeo's answers to questions from some senators had been "vague" and "contradictory", making it impossible to know what Mr Pompeo believes.
"I see no real commitment to transparency and his views on the most fundamental analysis of the day — the involvement of Russia in our election — seemed to shift with those of the president," Mr Wyden said.
Democrats playing politics, Republican senator says
In written responses to questions from the Senate on January 3, Mr Pompeo said only that intelligence agency assessments in general should be taken seriously.
After Mr Trump conceded Russia was behind the campaign hacks, Mr Pompeo on January 12 told the Senate intelligence committee that particular assessment was "solid".
"We need a CIA director who is direct about his beliefs and his assessments," Mr Wyden said.
Republican senator Richard Burr, chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, said Democrats were playing politics in their efforts to delay and derail Mr Trump's choice to run the CIA.
One of Mr Trump's first stops as president was at the CIA's headquarters in Northern Virginia on Saturday, where he made a speech that focused more on falsely accusing the media of lying about how many people attended his inauguration than on the role the CIA plays protecting the US.
Standing in front of a memorial for fallen CIA agents, Mr Trump assured intelligence officials: "I am so behind you."
He made no mention of his repeated criticism of the intelligence agencies following the election, including his public challenges of their high-confidence assessment that Russia meddled in the White House race to help him win.
Pompeo a conservative Republican, served in Army
In its final days, President Barack Obama's administration announced intelligence findings that Russia interfered with the 2016 presidential election with the goal of getting Mr Trump elected.
Mr Trump himself has denied most of the assessment, though eventually conceded Russia was behind the hacking of Democratic emails during the campaign.
Mr Pompeo, a conservative Republican from Kansas and a member of the House intelligence committee, faced a mostly friendly confirmation hearing on January 12.
He enrolled as a teenager at the US Military Academy at West Point, New York, and graduated first in his class in 1986.
He served in the Army at a time when the Soviet Union was America's primary adversary.
Reuters/AP
Topics: us-elections, government-and-politics, world-politics, united-states
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