Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statement reacting to President Trump’s dismissal of Secretary Tillerson and his nomination of CIA Director Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State.
“In the last few weeks, President Trump has antagonized many of our closest allies around the world and chosen to make policy by blackmail, rather than work with our international partners. President Trump has failed to articulate a clear strategy for any of his international proposals, appears to be at the whims of the latest segments on Fox and Friends and instead continues to decide in the dead of night to unleash unexpected chaos and disarray into our government. While the State Department should be focused on critical diplomacy efforts with countries like North Korea, it will instead now be in another state of transition. Americans, and our allies, must know we have a clear strategy and stable leadership to execute it when we engage in the world.
“While I didn’t vote for Secretary Tillerson, I respect that he stood up to this President. In nominating Director Pompeo, I question if the President has chosen someone that will enable his worst instincts and ignorance. I will be reviewing Mr. Pompeo’s record and look forward to hearing from him in the coming weeks on how he would conduct himself if confirmed as America’s Chief Diplomat.”
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