Mr. President, today our colleagues on the Foreign Relations Committee will vote to report the President's choice for the next Secretary of State. It is really hard to imagine someone more thoroughly qualified than Mike Pompeo. His career…
Mr. President, today our colleagues on the Foreign Relations Committee will vote to report the President's choice for the next Secretary of State.
It is really hard to imagine someone more thoroughly qualified than Mike Pompeo. His career is a success story on every single level. He graduated first in his class from West Point, served as a U.S. Army officer, and attended Harvard Law School. Then came success in business, and then Mike's neighbors elected him to Congress in 2010.
That impressive resume explains why, a little more than a year ago, a large bipartisan majority of Senators confirmed Mike as CIA Director. His qualifications were perfectly obvious, and, by all accounts, his track record at the CIA shows that vote of confidence was exactly the right decision. He has demonstrated mastery of the daily briefings he both receives and delivers. His high-quality counsel on sensitive matters has won the confidence not only of our national clandestine service but also of the Commander in Chief, and he has returned our CIA to the aggressive gathering of foreign intelligence. Along the way, he has built a reputation for listening to all points of view, trusting career staff, treating everyone fairly, and acting decisively.
In Mike Pompeo, the United States will have a chief diplomat who will enjoy the total confidence of the President and is uniquely qualified to reinvigorate our Foreign Service and represent our interests abroad. It is hard to imagine a better nominee for this mission, at this moment, than Mike Pompeo. I look forward to upholding the tradition of this body and voting to confirm him this week.
The Senate will also vote later this afternoon to advance the nomination of Kyle Duncan of Louisiana to serve on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Duncan's legal credentials show that the President has made another outstanding choice.
With degrees from LSU and Columbia under his belt, he built an impressive record in litigation, rising to serve as appellate chief in the Louisiana office of attorney general.
His accomplishments also extend to private practice, where his work earned the respect of his colleagues and peers, including his opponents in court.
A few weeks ago, a law professor and litigator who sparred with Kyle Duncan in a high-profile case wrote:
Kyle Duncan is a magnificent nominee for the Fifth Circuit.
. . . His confirmation should be supported by all who value
judges committed to fairness and scrupulous application of
the law.
A bipartisan group of current and former State solicitors general wrote to our colleagues on the Judiciary Committee to praise his nomination. Here is what they said:
As frequent advocates in the U.S. Courts of Appeals, we are
well-acquainted with the qualifications and characteristics
that make good judges, including intellect, integrity, legal
experience, and temperament, all of which Mr. Duncan
possesses in ample quantities.
They went on to say:
We came to know him as a highly skilled lawyer with an
easygoing demeanor, and as someone we could routinely turn to
for advice and interest on issues of mutual interest. Even
though we have worked for state Attorneys General of
different political stripes, we all agree that Kyle Duncan
has the personal and professional qualities that should
typify the federal judiciary.
No wonder the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on the
Federal Judiciary awarded Mr. Duncan its highest rating of ``well qualified.''
I urge every one of our colleagues to take his credentials, experience, and bipartisan support into account. Let's vote to advance the Duncan nomination this afternoon.