Rep. Jim Himes (D., Conn.) said Wednesday that if he were a senator, he would be inclined to vote to confirm CIA Director Mike Pompeo as President Donald Trump's next secretary of state.
MSNBC's Katy Tur, in the wake of many Senate Democrats expressing opposition to Pompeo, asked Himes if Pompeo should be confirmed as secretary of state. The congressman first reminded Tur that he is a member of the House of Representatives and since he is not a member of the Senate, has no vote in Pompeo's confirmation. He went on, however, to speak of personal experience that has given him insight into what makes Pompeo qualified for the job.
"I know Mike personally and have traveled with him a lot and as I said, he's a conservative right-winger from Kansas and I'm a Democrat from Connecticut, so we see everything pretty differently," Himes said. "But I will tell you this, he served his country with distinction in the military, he's a very smart guy, and he's a very pragmatic guy."
"So yeah, you know what, if I were in the Senate, my guess is that I would probably be inclined to vote to confirm him," Himes said.
Himes is a member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which Pompeo was also a member of during his time in Congress.