Pompeo Wins Surprise Support by Senate Panel to Lead State Department
- Rand Paul decides to back CIA chief after earlier opposition
- Vote goes to full Senate as soon as the end of this week
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A divided Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted in favor of Mike Pompeo to be the next secretary of state, paving the way for the CIA director to gain approval from the full Senate later this week and handing a victory to President Donald Trump.
The committee on Monday backed Pompeo’s nomination after Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, reversed his earlier opposition. Paul had come under pressure from fellow Republicans -- including Trump -- to ensure Pompeo didn’t become the first secretary of state nominee rejected by the committee since at least 1925.