Tim Kaine To Vote Against Confirming Mike Pompeo

From the transcript of Sen. Tim Kaine’s interview this morning with Face The Nation host Margaret Brennan:



BRENNAN: You mentioned Mike Pompeo. The CIA director was before your committee this week testifying as he sort of auditions for this role of secretary of state. You voted for him as CIA director. Will you vote for him to be the next secretary of state?

KAINE: Margaret, I’ve decided to vote against him to be secretary of state. I did vote for him as CIA director. He has an intel background that I thought suited him for the position. But look, we have a president who is anti-diplomacy. And I worry that Mike Pompeo has shown the same tendency to oppose diplomacy. He was not just against the Iran deal when he was a House member, but he spoke about the relative ease of wiping out Iran’s nuclear capacity with a bombing run. He has supported regime change–

BRENNAN: Well, Senator, that’s significant you are saying that you’re not going to vote for him because this would mean he’s the first nominee to be secretary of state to not get a favorable recommendation by that committee. But this still doesn’t stop him from becoming America’s top diplomat.

KAINE: Well, you’re right.

BRENNAN: He can still get confirmed.

KAINE: We’re- we’re going to have a floor vote and I’m telling you what my vote is. I don’t want a secretary of state who is going to exacerbate the President Trump’s tendencies to oppose diplomacy. You’ve seen President Trump try to underfund the State Department and USAID, not appoint key ambassadors, tweet out insults about foreign leaders, back the United States out of international agreements and organizations. We do not need a secretary of state who’s going to exaggerate those tendencies. We need a secretary of state who is going to stand up for strong diplomacy. I don’t believe that’s Director Pompeo’s inclination.