National security experts and public policy practitioners support Pompeo for Secretary of State

April 10, 2018

The Honorable Bob Corker
Chairman,
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
423 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Robert Menendez
Ranking Member,
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
423 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senators Corker and Menendez:

We are national security experts and public policy practitioners writing to express our enthusiastic support for President Trump’s nomination of Mike Pompeo to be the next U.S. Secretary of State. We urge that he be confirmed in that position as soon as possible.

We regard this appointment to be among the President’s best selections for his Cabinet – one made at a moment when our nation is facing a series of growing national security crises. Mr. Pompeo will provide President Trump with exceptional national security expertise, trusted counsel and management skills that the President urgently needs as he moves to address these challenges.

Notably, Mr. Pompeo comes to this post exceptionally prepared to deal with two urgent international issues that will require skillful diplomacy and informed presidential decisions over the next few months: North Korea and Iran. Mr. Pompeo made these issues priorities during his time as CIA Director and has provided President Trump with in-depth analyses of both.

Mr. Pompeo’s knowledge of U.S. intelligence on the North Korean and Iranian nuclear programs will serve him well as America’s top diplomat. That will be particularly valuable as President Trump prepares for a possible summit with North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, and his upcoming decision about the future status of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran.

From his days in the U.S. Congress, Mike Pompeo has exhibited as well a mastery of the multifaceted threat Donald Trump promised to defeat in his August 15, 2016 address in Youngstown, Ohio. Both men recognize this particular danger as ideological in nature, which Mr. Trump correctly noted is called “Sharia” by its adherents, who include “Radical Islamic Terrorists” and “the support networks for Radical Islam in this country.” The American people endorsed Candidate Trump’s clarity on this topic and expect the Trump administration to fulfill his promises to defeat such enemies.

We also strongly endorse Mike Pompeo for Secretary of State in light of his proven management skills. It is no secret that the Department of State is currently in disarray, with huge numbers of unfilled positions, low morale and lack of direction. There have not been similar reports from the CIA under Pompeo’s leadership. To the contrary, his tenure there has been widely praised by Agency employees. Mr. Pompeo has, moreover,

drawn upon his years of leadership experience in the U.S. Army, the private sector and as a legislator not only to effect an orderly transition at the CIA but to rebuild collaborative relationships between the intelligence and policy communities.

Mike Pompeo is the sort of seasoned, accomplished and energetic national security policy practitioner our nation desperately needs at this juncture in the role of Secretary of State to help President Trump secure our nation from all enemies, foreign and domestic. He enjoys our strong endorsement and we respectfully request that the United States Senate express the same by confirming him at the earliest possible moment.

Sincerely,

Winston L. Amselem
Senior Foreign Service Officer (Ret.)

Brig. Gen. William A. “Art” Bloomer, USMC (Ret.)

James Jay Carafano
Vice President, The Heritage Foundation

Jack David
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction and Negotiations Policy

Wesley Denton
Senior Director, Conservative Partnership Institute

Elaine Donnelly
President, Center for Military Readiness

Gy. Sgt. Jessie Jane Duff USMC (Ret.)
Senior Fellow, London Center for Policy Research

Stephen A. Elliot
Former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Compliance

Fred Fleitz
Former CIA Analyst

Kevin Freeman
Founder, National Security Investment Consultants

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.
President, Center for Security Policy

Robert H. Gormley
Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

William R. Graham
Science Advisor to the President

Larry Grundhauser
Brigadier General, USAF (Ret.)

Philip Haney
President, Venatus Group, Inc.

Christopher C. Hull
Executive Vice President, Center for Security Policy

Adm. Jerry Johnson, USN (Ret.)

Herbert London
Founder and President, London Center for Policy Research

Clare Lopez
Former CIA Officer

Adm. Ace Lyons, USN (Ret.)

Clifford D. May
Founder and President, Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Lt. Gen. Thomas G. McInerney, USAF (Ret.)

Vice Adm. Robert Monroe, USN (Ret.)
Former Director, Defense Nuclear Agency

Robert Muise
Co-founder, American Freedom Law Center

Michael B. Mukasey
Former Attorney General of the United States

C. Preston Noell III
President, Tradition, Family, Property, Inc.

Allen Roth
President, Secure America Now

Joseph E. Schmitz
Former Department of Defense Inspector General

Anthony A. Shaffer
Vice President, London Center for Policy Research

Lt. Gen. E.G. “Buck” Shuler, Jr., USAF (Ret.)

Sarah Stern
Founder and President, Endowment for Middle East Truth

Kenneth R. Timmerman
President & CEO, Foundation for Democracy in Iran

Richard A. Viguerie
Chairman, ConservativeHQ.com

J. Michael Waller
President, Georgetown Research

Deborah Weiss
Senior Fellow, Center for Security Policy

David Wurmser
Former Senior Advisor to the Vice President

David Yerushalmi
Co-founder, American Freedom Law Center