Senate confirms Trump nominee Mike Pompeo as CIA director, amid furore over Russian meddling in election

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Mike Pompeo (left) listens to remarks by US Vice-President Mike Pence before he is sworn in to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in Pence's ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Published: 12:46pm, 24 Jan 2017Updated: 11:24pm, 24 Jan 2017

The US Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump’s nominee to run the CIA despite some Democratic objections that Representative Mike Pompeo has been less than transparent about his positions on torture, surveillance and Russia’s meddling in the US election.

The vote was 66-32. Pompeo was sworn in by Vice-President Mike Pence later Monday evening.

Pompeo takes the helm at the nation’s top spy agency at a crucial time for US national security as intelligence — traditionally a nonpartisan issue — has been thrust into the political arena. Trump has been critical of intelligence agencies after their assessment of Russian involvement to help him win the election while the new president also has said he is fully behind them.

Senate Republicans had hoped to vote on Pompeo’s nomination Friday, after Trump’s inauguration. But Democrats succeeded in stalling action until they could debate.

Democratic Senator Ron Wyden on Monday said Pompeo was the “wrong man for the job.”

“He has endorsed extreme policies that would fundamentally erode liberties and freedoms of our people without making us safer,” Wyden said. He said Pompeo’s answers to questions from some senators have been “vague” and “contradictory,” making it impossible to know what Pompeo believes.