Where in the world is Joe Donnelly’s position on Mike Pompeo’s confirmation for Secretary of State? Donnelly met with Mike Pompeo over a week ago, and has been radio silent on the subject ever since. As we inch closer and closer to a confirmation vote in the Senate, Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post believes that voting in favor of Mike Pompeo is a no-brainer for Joe Donnelly:
“It may be a close call for some red-state Democrats, but both on the politics and the merits, voting to confirm Pompeo seems to be the smart move.”
You’d think it would be easy for Donnelly to come out and publicly announce support for Pompeo, given he previously voted to confirm Mike Pompeo for CIA Director and there is a clear precedent when voting for a Secretary of State.
Senator Donnelly has also been highly critical of the Trump Administration’s foreign policy agenda, clamoring for strategies on both North Korea and Syria. And while Donnelly has been looking for guidance on a strategy for North Korea, Pompeo has already met with Kim Jong Un over Easter weekend, which Democrats have been praising. Given Pompeo’s direct knowledge of the situation with North Korea, could there really be anyone else more qualified for the position, Senator?
However, if you’re a reporter, is there even a point in reaching out to ask Donnelly for his stance on Pompeo? Odds are he’ll tell you to “just give his office a call.” There’s a better chance of finding Carmen Sandiego than getting what seems to be an easy answer from Senator Donnelly.
“Once again, it looks like Joe Donnelly is attempting to run out the clock on making a decision about whether or not to confirm Mike Pompeo. Every time a major vote is forthcoming, Donnelly purposely waits to tell Hoosiers how he intends to vote because he makes decisions based on winning reelection instead of voting on behalf his own constituents. Hoosiers need a Senator who will be upfront with them and come November, they’ll have a chance to replace Donnelly with someone who will do exactly that.” –RNC Spokesperson Michael Joyce
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