Pompeo’s confirmation uncertain amid rare opposition from Senate panel

US President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, is facing serious opposition before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which may not have enough votes to recommend him for confirmation because all Democrats, and at least one Republican, have said they will oppose him.

The full Senate is still expected to consider Pompeo’s nomination later this week. But the rare rebuke expected from the panel Monday, even after Pompeo’s recent visit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, would be the first time in years that a nominee for the high-level Cabinet position did not receive a favorable committee vote.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders calls on Democrats to support Pompeo Monday, saying on Fox News: “at some point Democrats have to decide whether they love this country, more than they hate this president.”

Pompeo’s confirmation before the full Senate now hangs in balance, with the votes of just a handful of senators determining whether he becomes the nation’s top diplomat after Trump fired Rex Tillerson last month.

AP

The new Secretary of State Michael Pompeo seen testifying on Capital Hill while still CIA Director, Washington, January 12, 2017. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

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