Top US diplomat nominee Mike Pompeo facing rare opposition from Senate

US President Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, is facing serious opposition from Senate lawmakers in Congress and he may not receive enough votes for his confirmation because all Democrats, and at least one Republican, have said they will oppose him.

The rare disapproval expected from the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Monday would be the first time in years that a nominee for the high-level cabinet position did not receive a favorable committee vote.

The full Senate will consider the nomination of Pompeo, who is now the CIA director, later this week.

Pompeo's confirmation before the full Senate now hangs in balance, with the votes of just a handful of lawmakers from the upper chamber of Congress determining whether he becomes America’s top diplomat after Trump fired Rex Tillerson last month.

Senior senators from the Democrat Party, including some who had voted for Pompeo as CIA director last year, are breaking away, and Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, remains opposed, despite personal overtures from the president.

Pressure is mounting on senators from both political parties over Pompeo’s nomination. Progressive groups are pounding senators' offices in opposition to Pompeo's hawkish foreign policy views and negative comments about Muslims.

Meanwhile, Trump’s allies are releasing ad campaigns against Democrats in several states that voted for the president, including North Dakota, Indiana and Missouri, to vote for Pompeo.

Pompeo is reportedly planning to emphasize America’s “duty to lead” and bring Washington’s version of democracy to other nations, a stark contrast with Trump’s policy to put “America first.”

Several Democratic senators who supported Pompeo for CIA director say his views are not reflective of those they want in the nation’s top diplomat.

Senator Maggie Hassan, a Democrat from New Hampshire, who met with the nominee last week, "has concerns about Mr. Pompeo's nomination to serve as secretary of state," said spokesperson Ricki Eshman. The senator "is reviewing his record before making a final decision."

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Senator Chris Coons, who was among the last Democrats on the Foreign Relations Committee to announce his no vote, said he is concerned that Pompeo "will embolden, rather than moderate or restrain" Trump's "most belligerent and dangerous instincts."

"I do not make this decision lightly or without reservations," Coons said in a statement Friday. "However, I remain concerned that Director Pompeo will not challenge the President in critical moments. On vital decisions facing our country, Director Pompeo seems less concerned with rule of law and partnership with our allies and more inclined to emphasize unilateral action and the use of force."

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