By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Wednesday accused his nemesis Senator Bob Menendez and the Democrats of “putting our nation at risk” by delaying confirmation of nominees to key diplomatic posts.“In order to conduct U.S. foreign policy, the State Department needs its full team in place,” Pompeo said in a statement. “Today, there are more than 60 State Department nominees awaiting confirmation in the United States Senate. That’s more than a quarter of all the senior-level confirmable positions at the Department.” Menendez is the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and frequent antagonist of the Secretary of State.
“We’ve done our part at the State Department by putting forward a slate of candidates,” Pompeo said in his statement. “It’s Senator Bob Menendez and his colleagues who have refused to vote on these nominees, putting our nation at risk.”
Sen. Menendez wrote Pompeo a letter in June complaining of vacancies in key jobs.
“Over the course of the 115th Congress, the nominations process has been unnecessarily lengthened for some nominees because of poor vetting on the part of the administration,” Menendez wrote. “Nominees have failed to adequately fill out their questionnaires including, for example, accurately listing the groups, boards, and corporate entities of which they have been a part as well as their financial contributions to political campaigns.”
However, Pompeo claimed more than a dozen political nominees are being held up because of politics. Pompeo blasted Menendez for his alleged role in delaying confirmation of nominees.
“Yesterday, astonishingly and shamefully, Senator Menendez blamed the Administration for a lack of confirmed nominees when he said, “This Administration’s continued inability to adequately or appropriately fill key national security positions puts our nation at risk.”These outstanding candidates remain unconfirmed because Senator Menendez and some of his colleagues are using our nominees as a political football. This is unacceptable. The “risk” to the nation lies at the feet of Senator Menendez.”
