April 23, 2018

Rand Paul Reverses Himself, Agrees to Support Mike Pompeo

Courage.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

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In a major reversal, Republican Sen. Rand Paul announced Monday afternoon that he would support Mike Pompeo’s nomination to be secretary of State. The Kentucky senator had previously criticized Pompeo’s support of the Iraq War and had threatened to vote against him in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Had Paul done so, Pompeo would likely have failed to win support from a majority of the committee—though he would likely still have been confirmed by the full Senate.

Paul tweeted Monday that he “received assurances” from President Donald Trump and Pompeo that Pompeo now believes “that the Iraq war was a mistake, and that it is time to leave Afghanistan.” Paul then announced he would vote in favor of Pompeo’s nomination.

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