Just as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee convened Monday, Mike Pompeo’s earliest opponent came out in favor of his nomination—flipping what could have been an unfavorable committee vote.
Kentucky senator Rand Paul said on Twitter that he had “received assurances” from President Donald Trump, and from Pompeo, that the CIA director agrees “that Iraq was a mistake, that regime change has destabilized the region, and that we must end our involvement with Afghanistan.” Paul met with Pompeo on Thursday and said he spoke with Trump “several times” Monday.
After a procedural dust-up, Pompeo received 11 Republican votes and nine Democratic votes, with one of the GOP votes occurring by proxy and one Democratic senator switching his vote to ‘present’ later on in the dramatic markup. Republicans hold an 11-10 majority on the panel.
Paul announced his opposition to Pompeo in March, just after the president fired former secretary of state Rex Tillerson and said Pompeo would be his replacement. At the time, Paul described Pompeo as an advocate for regime change and vowed to do everything possible to block him.
When the roll was called on Monday evening, the Kentucky senator paused a moment before uttering a begrudging “aye.” His marked the 11th Republican vote and secured Pompeo’s nomination.
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05.18.2025