Democratic lawmakers who wanted to play politics by delaying CIA Director-nominee Mike Pompeo's confirmation meant national security "took a back seat" over the first weekend of President Donald Trump's administration, Sen. Cory Gardner said Monday.
"There was a deal to have these nominees put forward for the national security team, and unfortunately, I think [Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer caved to people who don't have national security interests at the front of their minds," the Colorado Republican, a member of the foreign relations committee, told Fox News' "Fox & Friends" program.
And as a result, only two of Trump's nominees, Defense Secretary James Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly were approved on Friday, leaving Pompeo to wait until at least Monday for approval.
"This country can't afford to sit by while its national security team is not in place," said Gardner. "This is highly unusual if you look at Barack Obama he had seven confirmations on first day in office. [Bill] Clinton had a dozen or so confirmed on day one. This is politics and unacceptable."
Had there been a significant crisis, he continued, Pompeo would not have had the ability to direct change or have any influence over the organization, even though he had a classified clearance when he went to visit the CIA headquarters in Langley with Trump.
There has been talk that the delays have been coming because of payback to Republicans who held up Obama's pick for the Supreme Court, Fox anchor Steve Doocy noted, but Gardner said that didn't matter, as Americans voted in Trump and made a decision for a new government.
"This isn't about who did what and paybacks," said Gardner. "This is about doing what's right for the country. That's what ought to be the actions that the Senate takes.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.