Sen. Portman: Pompeo Will Be Well Regarded

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, on Tuesday praised President Donald Trump's choice to replace Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

Trump tweeted Tuesday morning:

Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2018

"Pompeo is a good man," Portman said on CNBC's "Squawk Box"

"He'll be well regarded," the senator added. "He has a good relationship with the president."

Portman also addressed Trump's intervention to prevent Singapore company Broadcom from taking over American chipmaker Qualcomm, saying that "given the Chinese influence at least, and ownership, to a certain extent, of Broadcom, and their interest in getting some of this 5G technology, that it is a national security issue, so I think that it's appropriate that [the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States] look at it."

He added that "we've got to wake up and realize that China, Russia and other competitors are out there constantly trying to get technology."

• Trump Ousts Tillerson, Moves Pompeo to State
• Trump's Message With Broadcom Block: US Tech Not for Sale