WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. State Department officials did not accompany CIA Director Mike Pompeo to Pyongyang for a meeting with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un over the Easter weekend, a spokeswoman said on Thursday. FILE PHOTO: Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Mike Pompeo testifies during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on "Worldwide Threats" on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, U.S., February 13, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo Asked whether anyone from the department accompanied Pompeo, who is U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said: “No.” At a daily briefing, Nauert said she was not going to be able to get into the details. Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Lisa Shumaker … [Read more...] about U.S. State Department officials did not accompany Pompeo on trip to…
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Senators grill Pentagon, State Department on US role in Yemen
Missy Ryan, The Washington Post Published 2:46 pm, Tuesday, April 17, 2018 Trump administration officials faced tough questions from lawmakers Tuesday over U.S. military support for Persian Gulf nations involved in Yemen, as congressional pressure grows to reconsider the American role in a conflict that has killed thousands of civilians and spawned the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Republicans and Democrats pressed representatives from the Pentagon, State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development about the implications of U.S. assistance, mostly in the form of arms sales, aerial refueling and intelligence, to a coalition led by Saudi Arabia that is fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen. The questioning from members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee indicates growing discomfort with U.S. support for the campaign, which activists say has caused thousands of civilian deaths through reckless airstrikes and exacerbated Yemeni suffering by impeding … [Read more...] about Senators grill Pentagon, State Department on US role in Yemen
Mike Pompeo pledges to rebuild State Department
WASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo promised on Thursday to rebuild the State Department that has been gutted by the departure of senior diplomats and has found itself sidelined in foreign policy decisions under the Trump administration.A reorganization and hiring freeze initiated by former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has left the rank and file demoralized, with vacancies in most of the jobs that are filled by political appointees.Pompeo, director of the CIA, said he would work quickly in his new role to fill the gaps."This is critical to strengthening the finest diplomatic corps in the world, and America and the world needs us to be that," he said in his confirmation hearing at the Senate.President Donald Trump nominated Pompeo to become the country's top diplomat on March 13 when he fired Tillerson. Tillerson, a former chief executive of Exxon Mobil, had a rocky relationship with Trump in just over a year in the … [Read more...] about Mike Pompeo pledges to rebuild State Department
Trump nominee Pompeo pledges to rebuild State Department
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo promised on Thursday to rebuild the State Department that has been gutted by the departure of senior diplomats and has found itself sidelined in foreign policy decisions under the Trump administration. A reorganization and hiring freeze initiated by former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has left the rank and file demoralized, with vacancies in most of the jobs that are filled by political appointees. Pompeo, director of the CIA, said he would work quickly in his new role to fill the gaps. “This is critical to strengthening the finest diplomatic corps in the world, and America and the world needs us to be that,” he said in his confirmation hearing at the Senate. President Donald Trump nominated Pompeo to become the country’s top diplomat on March 13 when he fired Tillerson. Tillerson, a former chief executive of Exxon Mobil(XOM.N), had a rocky relationship with Trump in just over a year in the … [Read more...] about Trump nominee Pompeo pledges to rebuild State Department
Pompeo vows to make State Department as central as the CIA
Visit The Boston Globe Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Comment on this Scroll to top of page By Josh Lederman and Matthew Lee Associated Press April 12, 2018 WASHINGTON (AP) — Mike Pompeo, the CIA director nominated to be secretary of state, defended the Trump administration’s efforts to push back on aggression from Russia at his confirmation hearing Thursday while suggesting more sanctions on Moscow are still needed. Yet he dodged repeatedly when Democrats tried to pin him down on President Donald Trump’s handling of the special investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Pompeo confirmed for the first time publicly that he’s been interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating potential ties between Russia and Trump’s presidential campaign and possible obstruction of justice issues. But he wouldn’t answer questions about the contents of the interview, arguing it would be improper … [Read more...] about Pompeo vows to make State Department as central as the CIA