Mike Pompeo in Trump campaign vs. Trump administration
On Civil Rights:
LGBTQ persons have every right that every other person has
The Trump administration is launching a global campaign to end the criminalization of homosexuality in dozens of nations where it's still illegal to be gay.U.S. officials said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is supporting the work by U.S. embassies
and consulates to fight violence and discrimination against LGBT people. In his Senate confirmation hearing, Pompeo asserted: "I deeply believe that LGBTQ persons have every right that every other person in the world would have."
Despite the dozens of countries that still outlaw homosexuality, LGBT rights have proliferated in recent years in many parts of the world. Two dozen countries now recognize same-sex marriage, according to the [International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Trans and Intersex Association ILGA report on State-Sponsored Homophobia], while another 28 recognize domestic partnerships. The last U.S. laws outlawing same-sex activity were invalidated by the Supreme Court in 2003 in Lawrence v. Texas.
Source: Josh Lederman, NBC News, on 2019 Trump administration
Feb 19, 2019
On Foreign Policy:
Investigate Russian interference with U.S. election
Representative Mike Pompeo, the Kansas Republican who is Mr. Trump's nominee for director of the C.I.A., said the agency would pursue information about efforts by Russia to interfere with the American election,
including any possible links to the Trump campaign. "I promise I will pursue the facts wherever they take us," he said.
Pompeo signaled that he agreed with the assessment of United States intelligence agencies that Russian President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia tried to promote Trump's candidacy and to undermine the presidential campaign of
Hillary Clinton, describing the report that was delivered last week to Trump and President Obama as "sound."
Source: N.Y. Times on 2017 Trump transition Confirmation Hearings
Jan 12, 2017
On Government Reform:
Russian hacking impact 2016 election & not the first time
On intelligence reports of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Asked by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Virginia) if he accepts the conclusions of the U.S. intelligence community on Russian attempts to interfere with the 2016 presidential election,
Pompeo said, "Everything I've seen suggests to me that the report has an analytical product that is sound."Sen. Feinstein also asked Pompeo for his views on the report, to which he responded, "It's pretty clear what took place here, with
Russian involvement in efforts to hack information and to have an impact on American democracy. I'm very clear-eyed about what that intelligence report says. This is very real. It is growing. It is not new, in that sense.
This was an aggressive action taken by the senior leadership inside of Russia and America has an obligation, and the CIA is part of that obligation, to protect that information."
Source: Ballotpedia.org: 2017 Trump transition confirmation hearings
Jan 13, 2017
On Homeland Security:
No torture, including coercive methods like waterboarding
In a reversal, Pompeo said emphatically that he would not endorse torture, including coercive methods like waterboarding.
Pompeo had previously said he did not believe waterboarding was torture, and that it was legal.
Source: N.Y. Times on 2017 Trump transition Confirmation Hearings
Jan 12, 2017
On Technology:
Re-establish collection of all metadata; make it searchable
On government surveillance programs: Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) asked Pompeo to elaborate on a recent op-ed that he wrote in The Wall Street Journal, in which he argued, "Congress should pass a law re-establishing collection of all metadata, and combining it
with publicly available financial and lifestyle information into a comprehensive, searchable database. Legal and bureaucratic impediments to surveillance should be removed."
Pompeo, in response to Wyden, said, "I still continue to stand behind the commitment to keep Americans safe, and by conducting lawful intelligence collection." He added, "as the director of CIA, you have my assurance that we will not engage in unlawful
activity. [But] if someone's out there on their Facebook page talking about or plotting an attack on America, I think you would the director of the CIA and the intelligence community grossly negligent if they didn't pursue that information."
Source: Ballotpedia.org: 2017 Trump transition confirmation hearings
Jan 13, 2017
On War & Peace:
I opposed Iran deal; I'll gather clear-eyed info about it
Pompeo discussed how his transition would relate to specific policies areas such as the Iran nuclear deal and Russia. He said, "While as a Member of Congress I opposed the Iran deal, if confirmed, my role will change.
It will be to drive the Agency to aggressively pursue collection operations and ensure analysts have the time, political space, and resources to make objective and methodologically sound judgments.
If confirmed, I will present their judgments to policymakers. The same goes for Russia.
It is a policy decision as to what to do with Russia, but I understand it will be essential that the Agency provide policymakers with accurate intelligence and clear-eyed analysis of Russian activities."
Source: Ballotpedia.org: 2017 Trump transition confirmation hearings
Jan 13, 2017
On War & Peace:
OpEd: Supported Iraq war then & supports Iran war now
Rand Paul is vowing to do everything he can to stop Mike Pompeo from becoming secretary of state. The libertarian-leaning GOP senator said that Pompeo's earlier support for the Iraq war and defense of enhanced interrogation techniques--or "torture" in
the view of Paul and many other senators--is disqualifying.Paul serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where the GOP enjoys just a one-seat advantage. With Paul opposed, Pompeo could receive an unfavorable committee verdict, which would be
a serious black mark on Pompeo's nomination.
Pompeo's previous pushes for regime change in Iran and his hawkish world view are also at odds with Trump and therefore he should not be given the job, Paul argued. "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. "it goes against most of the things Pres. Trump campaigned on, that the unintended consequences of regime change in Iraq led to instability in the Middle East."
Source: Politico.com on 2018 Trump Administration
Mar 14, 2018
On War & Peace:
Caution with history of deceit by North Korea
Pompeo asserted that the US could compel North Korea to do what most experts believe North Korea never will: fully give up its nuclear weapons. Pompeo has noted North Korea's record of negotiating in bad faith.He points to "the history of deceit" of
the Kim regime, which overt the last 25 years has repeatedly reneged on commitments to curb its nuclear activities. At the CIA, where he established a center devoted to addressing North Korea, Pompeo has also been intimately acquainted with just how
formidable the North Korean nuclear program has become. While he's characterized the Trump administration's ultimate goal as ridding North Korea of nuclear weapons, he's suggested that the administration's near-term objectives are more modest: keeping
North Korea from progressing further than where it is, which is on the verge of perfecting the technology to place a nuclear warhead on an intercontinental ballistic missile that can reach the United States.
Source: The Atlantic magazine on 2018 Trump Administration
Mar 14, 2018
On War & Peace:
Cease US joint military exercises with South Korea
Pompeo sees diplomacy as bloodsport. When he first met with Kim Jong Un in North Korea, the North Korean dictator immediately challenged Pompeo, who previously suggested North Koreans "would love to see Kim go." Pompeo didn't flinch. The CIA director
joked that he was still trying to kill him, this former staffer said, and both men laughed.Trump's meeting with Kim was long and productive, at least from the North Korean perspective. After the summit concluded, Trump announced that Pyongyang
had "re-affirmed" its commitment to a denuclearized Korean peninsula and that the U.S. would cease its joint military exercises with South Korea, which he characterized as expensive and "very provocative."
The summit appeared to be a major win for
North Korea based off the joint statement signed by the two leaders. One expert opined, "The president continues to say that Kim is giving up his nuclear weapons. Kim continues to refuse to promise that. I don't know how long they can keep fudging this."
Source: Vanity Fair on 2018 Trump Administration
Jun 18, 2018
Page last updated: Nov 02, 2024