After an 11th- hour vote change from Senator Rand Paul (KY) Monday, CIA Director Mike Pompeo’s nomination for Secretary of State was allowed to go to the full Senate for a confirmation vote. Defying expectations and an obstructionist Democratic Party, the progress of Pompeo’s nomination drew the ire of NBC Nightly News and Chief Foreign Affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell, whose report on the vote was filled with Democratic gripes and talking points.
“Moments ago, Secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo cleared a key hurdle and will now go to the Senate for a confirmation vote after a last-minute change of heart on the committee spared Pompeo from what could’ve been a historical rebuke,” anchor Lester Holt announced as he led into the segment.
What Holt pitched as a “historical rebuke,” suggesing he saw major problem with Pompeo, was actually just historic obstruction from the party that dubbed itself the “resistance.” CBS Evening News (via Congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes) at least had the integrity to note that the Democrats' actions were far from normal:
Still, the party-line vote was a departure from Senate tradition. John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, and Condoleezza Rice all got unanimous or near-unanimous backing from the Foreign Relations Committee, a signal to the rest of the world of bipartisan confidence in the nation's top diplomat.
But on NBC, Mitchell seemed perturbed that Pompeo’s nomination was kept alive by the vote switch. “Tonight, Mike Pompeo survived a critical test. The Foreign Relations Committee supporting him at the last moment with a party-line vote,” she said. Note that she was directing the comment at Republicans, instead of Democrats.
Mitchell described Pompeo as a “lightning rod” and wrote off his vast qualifications because “his controversial view and past comments on Muslims and a hawkish worldview make some question the CIA director's fitness to be America’s top diplomat.” Mitchell's labeling of Pompeo as a hawk was particularly hypocritical in light of her hardcore support for Hillary Clinton.
After whining about the White House pushing back on the Democrats, she noted the administration had to deal with the nomination on top of other pressing foreign relations matters. “This, as many experts worry the President is too eager for a deal [with North Korea],” she chided. “Tweeting Sunday, ‘they have agreed to denuclearization. So great for world.’ In fact, Kim only offered to freeze nuclear tests and dismantle an aging test site.”
This criticism of a possible deal was coming from the person who has defended every terrible international deal that came out of the Obama administration.
“A big plus for Pompeo, as he tries to rebuild a hallowed out State Department, he has the President's ear, unlike Rex Tillerson. The question from critics though, will he tell the President inconvenient truths,” Mitchell jabbed as she wrapped up her report.
When the roles were reversed just a few years ago, the liberal media were up in arms when Republicans would oppose other nominees. But, as CBS recalled, they ended up supporting President Obama’s secretary of state nominees in the end. Clearly, they don’t care to show the same outrage now.
The relevant portion of the transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
NBC Nightly News
April 23, 2018
7:08:27 PM EasternLESTER HOLT: Now to all the late drama on Capitol Hill. Moments ago, secretary of state nominee Mike Pompeo cleared a key hurdle and will now go to the Senate for a confirmation vote after a last-minute change of heart on the committee spared Pompeo from what could’ve be a historical rebuke. NBC Chief Foreign Affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell has the story.
[Cuts to video]
ANDREA MITCHELL: Tonight, Mike Pompeo survived a critical test. The Foreign Relations Committee supporting him at the last moment with a party-line vote. Republican Senator Rand Paul switching at the last minute.
RAND PAUL: I have changed my mind. I have decided to go ahead and vote for Director Pompeo.
MITCHELL: Also picking up a vote from Republican Jeff Flake.
[…]
MITCHELL: Pompeo, the current CIA director, had become a lightning rod pick by President Trump. First in his class at West Point, top student at Harvard Law, but his controversial view and past comments on Muslims and a hawkish world view make some question the CIA director's fitness to be America’s top diplomat.
TIM KAINE: I think I have a fairly low bar on this one. I just want to see a diplomat who is a diplomat.
MITCHELL: The white house blasting Democrats.
SARAH SANDERS: The majority of Democrats continue their pointless obstruction to score cheap political points with their base.
MITCHELL: But Pompeo's confirmation just one hurdle now facing the President's foreign policy team. The President faces a looming deadline on the Iran nuclear deal. And Pompeo, who met secretly with Kim Jong-un over Easter, is now planning the upcoming summit.
This, as many experts worry the President is too eager for a deal. Tweeting Sunday, “they have agreed to denuclearization. So great for world.” In fact, Kim only offered to freeze nuclear tests and dismantle an aging test site.
[Cuts back to live]
A big plus for Pompeo, as he tries to rebuild a hallowed out State Department, he has the President's ear, unlike Rex Tillerson. The question from critics though, will he tell the President inconvenient truths?
