Sen. Rand Paul is catching flak from his base over his decision to support Mike Pompeo for secretary of state despite repeated assertions that he would not, the Washington Examiner reports.
Social media was unkind to the Kentucky conservative but politics and potentially bad optics might have forced Paul’s hand once three Democrats voiced their support for Pompeo on the foreign relations committee, the Examiner reports.
“A Republican senator is not going to be the deciding vote to block a Republican president’s nominee for secretary of state, period," a GOP strategist told the Examiner. "I don’t care if it is Rand Paul or anybody else."
Paul had been steadfast in his pledge to block Pompeo. However, he cited assurances he received from Pompeo that he agrees with President Donald Trump’s position that the U.S. should recede from Afghanistan as the chief reason for changing his mind, among other considerations.
"I came to the point of view I would give director Pompeo a chance and I think we'll hear more from him that hopefully will be heartening to those of the view we need to have less war," Paul said Tuesday.
But that didn’t play well with many of Paul’s supporters, who took to Twitter to lambast the senator,
"A bit disappointed, but if Sen. Paul received a strong assurance that this administration would work to end the war in Afghanistan, then the switched vote will be worthwhile," one Paul ally told the Examiner.
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