GOP chairman: ‘Fair’ to ask if Pompeo’s relationship with Trump is ‘deferential’

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) on Thursday addressed concerns that CIA Director Mike Pompeo would be “deferential” to President Trump if he were confirmed secretary of State, given the two men’s close relationship.

Corker said that lawmakers were right to question whether Pompeo’s close relationship with Trump is based on a “deferential willingness to go along to get along” during his opening statement at Pompeo’s confirmation hearing.

{mosads}“I know that you have developed a close relationship with the president, and I believe that that relationship could well serve you if you’re confirmed as secretary of State. However, many strong voices have been terminated or resigned,” Corker said.

“That’s why I think it’s fair for our members to ask whether your relationship is rooted in a candid, healthy, give-and-take dynamic or whether it’s based on deferential willingness to go along to get along,” he said. 

Trump nominated Pompeo to serve as the nation’s chief diplomat in March after abruptly ousting Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Trump and Tillerson had butt heads on several issues, including the Paris climate accord and the Iran nuclear deal, which Trump indicated led him to remove Tillerson.

“We got along actually quite well, but we disagreed on things,” Trump told reporters last month. “When you look at the Iran deal, I think it’s terrible. I guess he thought it was OK. I wanted to either break it or do something, and he felt a little bit differently. So we were not really thinking the same.” 

“Mike Pompeo — we have a very similar thought process,” Trump said. “I think it’s going to go very well.” 

Pompeo has emerged as one of Trump’s favorite Cabinet members, traveling nearly daily to the White House to brief the president on national security matters. 

Pompeo, who was approved to lead the CIA in a 66-32 vote last year, is likely to face a more contentious battle to be confirmed as secretary of State because of his past controversial views on torture and the Iran nuclear agreement. Some Democrats have already said they will not support Pompeo this time, and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has already announced his opposition to his nomination.