Rep. Mike Pompeo of Kansas was lauded by President Donald Trump during Trump's speech at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia on Saturday. Trump noted that for many cabinet nominations, he would have to consider eight or nine candidates, but that for the position of CIA Director he saw Pompeo to be a singular fit. Pompeo graduated at the top of his class at West Point before finishing a law degree at Harvard where he also graduated near the top of his class, Trump said in the speech. Pompeo will to do a "phenomenal" and "tremendous" job, the President said.
Former CIA Director John Brennan and Trump clashed on numerous occasions. After Brennen criticized Trump for not fully understanding Russia, Trump replied via Twitter, "Oh really, couldn't do much worse — just look at Syria (red line)…Not good! Was this the leaker of Fake News?"
The confirmation of the CIA director position is likely seen by Capitol Hill as a matter of national security, and less a matter of politics. Further, Pompeo was tapped for candidacy by DC-insider Reince Preibus, former chairman of the Republican National Committee and current White House Chief of Staff. Preibus' approval likely indicates broad support among establishment politicians.
A simple majority of the 100 Senate seats was required for Pompeo to officially assume the role as Director of the CIA.
The CIA is one of the 17 agencies comprising the US intelligence community. The agency is tasked with foreign intelligence gathering. The official primary missions is "to collect, analyze, evaluate, and disseminate foreign intelligence to assist the President and senior US government policymakers in making decisions related to national security. This is a very complex process and involves a variety of steps," according to the agency's website.
Pompeo said in prepared remarks before the House Intelligence Committee that "the CIA must be the world's premier espionage service," adding that he will "ensure analysts have the time, political space, and resources to make objective and sound judgments."
