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WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) today joined former Senator Robert J. Dole (R-Kan.) in introducing fellow Kansan, and Director of Central Intelligence, Mike Pompeo at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on his nomination to be the U.S. Secretary of State.
For audio and video of Senator Roberts’ remarks go here.
The following are Senator Roberts’ remarks as prepared for delivery:
“It is an honor to be here today in support of my Kansas friend and colleague, Mike Pompeo, as the president’s nominee for Secretary of State.
“For more than a decade, I have known Mike – first as a friend and business leader, then a congressional colleague and most recently as the leader of our intelligence community.
“At home, Kansans know Mike as a family man – a devoted husband to Susan and father to Nick, both of whom are here today. I know how proud you are!
“They know him as a man of integrity and honesty, of hard work and perseverance. He built a successful business, understood the responsibility of maintaining a payroll and helped bring job growth and prosperity to Wichita.
“They know him to have Kansas common sense and to be plainspoken – to tell it like it is. Senator Dole and I might share a little of that too.
“They know him as a statesman…a man who listens to others, who works well with people and who can negotiate solutions in an effective manner.
“Given these qualities, I believe that Mike Pompeo’s next challenge….in this troubled and tumultuous world…is perhaps the challenge for which he is best suited.
“As our nation’s most senior diplomat, Mike will be forthright, forceful, and thoughtful. He will give the president and the Congress candid counsel. He will be a man of his word. It’s in his DNA; just look at his biography.
“Mike is Army Strong. He graduated at the top of his class at West Point and then served as a cavalry officer, patrolling the Iron Curtain before the fall of the Berlin Wall. He later joined the 2nd Squadron, 7th Cavalry in the Fourth Infantry Division.
“After completing his military service, Mike attended Harvard Law School where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. Mike understands the law.
“After practicing law, Mike returned to his mother’s roots in South Central Kansas, running several very successful businesses in Wichita before running for Congress in 2010.
“Mike came to Washington with a strong desire to serve the people of the 4th District and to make a difference. He sought a seat on the House Intelligence Committee at a time when intelligence-gathering methods were under fire, before he went on to lead the Central Intelligence Agency.
“As I told my good friend and Chairman Richard Burr and my colleagues on the Intelligence Committee last year, Mike Pompeo understands and respects the role of Congress and the need for vigorous oversight.
“I say to those who serve our country here in Washington and at diplomatic posts around the world, Mike Pompeo will work hard to earn your trust.
“He will seek to build bridges; to rely upon expertise; to debate and discuss, but to always have respect.
“Whether it’s managing crises in Syria or North Korea, complex relationships with Russia or China, or humanitarian disasters in Myanmar or Yemen, Mike will represent American ideals and values backed by the strength of leadership of the free world.
“History has shown us time and again that we cannot sit back and wait given the most serious challenges we face in the world and the role that America plays.
“Whenever there is a void, the world pays a price.
“We need Mike Pompeo at the State Department. We need him now.
“It is my fervent hope that this committee and the full Senate will proceed with a swift confirmation for the president’s nominee. I know Mike Pompeo will serve us proudly.”
Senator Roberts, a former Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and former Majority Leader Dole also introduced then Kansas’ Fourth District Congressman Pompeo at his confirmation to become Director of Central Intelligence in January of 2017.
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