WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MIKE POMPEO
Under any criteria, we know that Mike Pompeo would raise the #TrumpThreatLevel as Secretary of State. Here are just a few reasons to stop Pompeo from being confirmed by the Senate:
- He would help Trump take us closer to war with Iran. Mike Pompeo has long opposed diplomacy with Iran. President Obama achieved a foreign policy milestone in 2015 bysecuring a verifiable deal to ensure that Iran doesn’t develop a nuclear weapon (all without firing a single bullet). Pompeo has already advised Trump to hurt the deal, and Trump has followed his advice. If he were to run the State Department, Pompeo would likely issue the final blow. This would destroy President Obama’s diplomatic achievements and take us to the brink of new war with Iran.
- He could make the Trump-made crisis with North Korea worse. Trump goes from tweeting insults at Kim Jong-Un one week to hastily agreeing to meet with him the next. We need an experienced, committed diplomat to lead the State Department, but Mike Pompeo is a war hawk who has suggested that the U.S. should invade North Korea. He’s the last person who should serve as top diplomat under the volatile whims of Donald Trump.
- He doesn’t believe in climate change. Mike Pompeo has long expressed skepticism in climate science—that’s a huge problem since climate change poses a major national security threat and we need a strong State Department to confront it. Pompeo opposed the Paris climate accord, and Trump clearly agreed with him. The stakes are way too high to have a climate change denier as the face of our foreign policy.
- He is an Islamophobe. Pompeo used a racial slur against a political opponent, accepted an award from an anti-Muslim organization, and circulated conspiracy theories about Muslims infiltrating the United States for nefarious purposes. This person cannot lead our international diplomacy.
- He supports torture. Mike Pompeo called the people who tortured detainees during the Bush Administration “patriots” and still claims it was legal at the time. It wasn’t, and that raises concerns about what other illegal acts he might be willing to carry out under Trump’s orders.
In 2017, the Senate confirmed Mike Pompeo to serve as head of the CIA under Trump, by a vote of 66-32. That means 14 Democrats and one Independent (King-ME) joined the Republicans to help make Mike Pompeo CIA Director.
Democrats who supported Pompeo last time faced wide opposition from their constituents. This is their second chance to vote the right way and oppose an Islamophobic war hawk from becoming Trump’s Secretary of State.
If Democrats vote together, we can win this.
- Call Rob Portman at 202-224-3353
- Call Sherrod Brown at 202-224-2315
Sample Script:
Caller: Hi, my name is [name] and I’m a constituent calling from [adddress] because I totally oppose the nomination of Mike Pompeo to serve as Secretary of State. He denies climate science, is a war hawk, and an Islamophobe. I’m concerned he will export Trumpism all over the world if he becomes our top diplomat. Will Senator [name] be voting “no” on his confirmation?
[IF STAFFER SAYS YES]
Staffer: Yes, Senator [name] opposes Pompeo’s nomination and will be voting against confirming him.
Caller: That’s great news. I want to see Senator [name] make a clear public statement opposing Pompeo and urging [his/her] colleagues to do the same.
Staffer: I’ll relay that to the boss.
Caller: Thank you, I’ll be watching for that statement.
[IF STAFFER SAYS NO OR NOT SURE]
Staffer: Thank you for sharing your concerns. Senator [name] has concerns about Pompeo and will be sure to ask tough questions at the confirmation hearing.
Caller: That’s not enough—there’s nothing Pompeo can say at his confirmation hearing to change the fact that he would be a dangerous Secretary of State if confirmed. Trump brags that he and Pompeo are very similar, and that is dangerous. I want to see Senator publicly commit to opposing Pompeo.
Staffer: I’ll take that back to the Senator.
Caller: Thank you, I’ll check back soon to see if the Senator has opposed.
Thanks to Indivisible for today’s action.