Prensa. Voanews.
Former CIA
Director Mike Pompeo was sworn in as U.S. secretary of state Thursday after a
divided Senate voted 57-42 to confirm President Donald Trump's nominee, with
all Republicans backing him and all but six Democrats and one independent
lawmaker opposed.
Trump hailed the
confirmation and congratulated Pompeo on becoming the 70th person to be named
America's top diplomat. "Having a patriot of Mike's immense talent, energy
and intellect leading the Department of State will be an incredible asset for
our country at this crucial time in history," the president said in a
statement.
Pompeo replaces
Rex Tillerson, who was fired last month by Trump. His assumption of duties
allows him to attend a NATO meeting Friday in Brussels, and hold bilateral
talks with Turkish and Italian foreign ministers. The new
secretary of state then heads to Israel, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. State
Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said the stops were chosen to reflect
their "importance as key allies and partners in the region."
The trip comes
just hours after a contentious confirmation vote in the U.S. Senate. While
Republican lawmakers were united behind Pompeo, most Democrats bemoaned what
they saw as the nominee's history of warmongering rhetoric and antipathy to
Muslims and gay people.
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