McCollum Statement on Nomination of Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.) released the following statement on President Donald Trump's nomination of CIA Director Mike Pompeo to be Secretary of State:

"I served in the House with Mike Pompeo and I can think of few people more ill-suited to be Secretary of State.

"Mr. Pompeo has opposed international engagement, undermined the Iran nuclear agreement, and advocated for torture. He was a ringleader wasting millions of dollars on the Benghazi witch hunt and he has shown his ultimate loyalty is to President Trump by downplaying his own Intelligence Community's findings that Russia attacked our democracy to help then-candidate Trump.

"After the debacle of Secretary Rex Tillerson's tenure, we desperately need a fresh start with an experienced, respected leader to be our nation's top diplomat. Mike Pompeo is not that person, and I urge the Senate to reject his nomination."