A last-minute switch to "yes" by Kentucky Republican Rand Paul gave CIA Director Mike Pompeo enough votes to get a favorable recommendation from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Monday, letting him avoid becoming the first secretary of state nominee in the nation's history to be rejected in committee. “After calling continuously for weeks for Director Pompeo to support President Trump’s belief that the Iraq war was a mistake, and that it is time to leave Afghanistan, today I received confirmation that Director Pompeo agrees with President Trump. “Having received assurances from President Trump and Director Pompeo that he agrees with the President on these important issues, I have decided to support his nomination to be our next Secretary of State,” he said. "With Secretary of State-designate Mike Pompeo's favorable report from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the American people are one step closer to having their top diplomat in place at a critical time in our history," the White House said in its statement.
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