Sarah Sanders called out Democrats standing in the way of CIA Director Mike Pompeo’s confirmation as secretary of state on Monday. She said they would need to “decide whether they love this country more than they hate” President Trump. Wow! She hit the nail on the head!
Pompeo is facing a down-to-the-wire confirmation vote to be the next leader of the State Department despite being easily confirmed last year as CIA Director.
Senator Dianne Feinstein got a little bristly on Sunday when she was asked about the Democrats voting against Trump nominees:
Watch Senator Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) get a little snarky in an interview with Margaret Brennan. Feinstein was asked questions about perceived left-wing pressure in her home state to oppose President Donald Trump’s nominees as she seeks re-election in November.
On “Face The Nation,” Feinstein discussed her issues with supporting Gina Haspel to be the next CIA Director in place of Mike Pompeo, who has been nominated by President Donald Trump to be the next secretary of state.
WFB reports:
Feinstein, as other Democrats have, said she opposed Haspel’s position on enhanced interrogation but stressed she wouldn’t make up her mind on Haspel until after her confirmation hearing. Brennan said it sounded like Feinstein was leaning toward a “no” even though Haspel had strong support from within the CIA.
“There are some in the intelligence community who are looking to you as a very key vote here … There are those who are questioning whether it’s possible for you personally to be supportive of her, given the pressures you are feeling from progressives back in your home state of California right now, that you just can’t afford to support any Trump nominee,”
“We certainly hope that some members will change their minds. Look, at some point, Democrats have to decide whether they love this country more than they hate this president,” Sanders said on “Fox and Friends.” “They have to decide that they want to put the safety and the security and the diplomacy of our country ahead of their own political games, and we’re very hopeful that they will.”
WFB reports:
Pompeo got the votes of 14 Democrats and left-leaning independent Sen. Angus King (I., Maine.) last year to lead the CIA, but some Democrats who supported him previously have turned against him, citing reasons ranging from his conservative social views to claiming he has a “disdain for diplomacy.”
Past secretaries of state have been confirmed with strong bipartisan support. President Barack Obama’s two secretaries of state, Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, got a combined five “nay” votes during their two confirmations.
Sanders also said opposing Pompeo had national security implications, as he has already met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un ahead of a planned Trump-Kim summit over North Korea’s rogue nuclear program.
“To stop that would be incredibly dangerous and damaging for our country and for the world,” Sanders said.
Trump tweeted about the vote on Monday, saying, “Hard to believe Obstructionists May vote against Mike Pompeo for Secretary of State. The Dems will not approve hundreds of good people, including the Ambassador to Germany. They are maxing out the time on approval process for all, never happened before. Need more Republicans!”
