Republican Sen. Rand Paul, who previously said he would not support the nomination of CIA Director Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State, announced Monday on Twitter that he will indeed vote in favor of his confirmation.
Paul's support likely clears the path for Pompeo's confirmation, since at least 11 of the Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee are likely to back him now. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., a member of the committee who is set to retire at the end of this year's congressional session, had not announced how he would vote early Monday evening. With an approval, Pompeo's nomination will be recommended to the full Senate.
Paul, R-Ky., previously expressed issue with Pompeo's support for military involvement in Iran.
“I’m perplexed by the nomination of people who love the Iraq War so much that they would advocate for a war with Iran next,” Paul said according to the National Review, referring to Pompeo. “It goes against most of the things President Trump campaigned on, that the unintended consequences of regime change in Iraq led to instability in the Middle East.”
But Paul made a U-turn after assurances from President Donald Trump.
Three Democrats - Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Heidi Heitkamp if North Dakota - said they planned to vote for Pompeo should the nomination reach the Senate floor, and that support puts him in solid position to eventually win confirmation. There, he only needs a simple majority to succeed Rex Tillerson, who was fired in March.
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