Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), a member of the National Security Working Group and former Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, released a statement announcing his intention to vote against CIA Director Mike Pompeo’s nomination to be Secretary of State:
“After careful consideration, I have decided to vote against Director Pompeo for Secretary of State. Director Pompeo supports policies that I believe will make our Nation less safe and his record on issues like torture and the Iran nuclear agreement, as well as his prior statements regarding American Muslims are troubling. We need a Secretary of State who will most effectively represent all Americans to the international community.
Director Pompeo has refused to rule out torture as an intelligence gathering mechanism, saying that he would consider whether extreme practices outside the Army Field Manual need to be revisited. Most military and intelligence experts agree that torture is ineffective and makes us less safe.
While I appreciate Director Pompeo’s willingness to serve and plan to work with him to protect U.S. interests if he is confirmed, I simply believe that the threats facing our Nation today need a Secretary of State with greater diplomatic experience, not someone with a record of divisiveness and a tendency to support policies that make us less safe. For those reasons I will oppose his nomination.”
###
