To: The United States Senate
Senate must reject Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State
The Senate must block the confirmation of Mike Pompeo as secretary of state. Pompeo has endorsed the use of torture, has pushed anti-Muslim policies, opposes the nuclear deal with Iran, and has shown an eagerness to support Trump's military escalation. At a pivotal moment when the U.S. must pursue diplomacy, not war, he's dangerous—and the Senate must reject him.
Why is this important?
Donald Trump fired Rex Tillerson two weeks ago and announced that he that intends to replace him with current CIA chief Mike Pompeo, who has endorsed torture, pushed anti-Muslim policies, embraces war, shuns diplomacy, and has received more money from the Koch brothers than any other member of Congress. Pompeo is dangerous, and he must be stopped.
The good news is that we can win this. If Senate Democrats and Independents unify in opposition, we can block the nomination of Mike Pompeo, whose pro-war views are so extreme that even many Republicans may vote no.
Pompeo is a vehemently anti-Muslim bigot who has shamelessly embraced the use of torture and is an opponent of diplomacy. Trump himself has said that while Tillerson was more inclined to support the diplomatic deal with Iran, Pompeo agrees with Trump about tearing it up—risking putting us on a path to war with Iran. And now that Trump has announced John Bolton as his new national security adviser, the risks just got even higher.
As Trump approaches the high-stakes meeting with North Korea, Americans need a secretary of state who believes in diplomacy. Mike Pompeo is not that person—he's a radical ideologue who will put us in greater danger.
All it takes to reject Pompeo is a simple majority in the Senate, but things are moving fast. Senators need to see—right now—that constituents are tuned in and ready to hold them accountable.
Last year, as Trump appointed a Cabinet of authoritarians and kleptocrats, senators heard powerful outrage from voters and began to oppose Cabinet picks—even Tillerson, a moderate compared to Pompeo, received only 54 votes. We should not treat Pompeo as business as usual. All senators must hear from their constituents and understand that this is their chance to reject Trump's march to war.