Pompeo to call Russia ‘a danger to our country’ in testimony: report

CIA Director Mike Pompeo plans to call Russia “a danger to our country” on Thursday in his Senate hearing for confirmation as secretary of State, according to a copy of his opening remarks obtained by The Associated Press.

Pompeo will tell senators that the days of soft policy by the U.S. toward Russia are “now over,” according to the report. The testimony comes amid escalating tension between the U.S. and Russia over an alleged chemical attack in Syria for which President Trump blamed Russian support. 

Pompeo, who Trump nominated last month after firing former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, seeks to take over at the State Department after leading the CIA during the first year of Trump’s presidency.

The intelligence chief will also tell the Senate panel he will end the “demoralizing” vacancies of top diplomats after a string of departures over the past year, according to excerpts released by the White House. Pompeo reportedly heard advice on replenishing top diplomatic staff from former secretaries of State he reached out to prior to the hearing, including Hillary Clinton.

“In a recent series of Department briefings with team members at State, they all, to a person, expressed a hope to be empowered in their roles, and to have a clear understanding of the President’s mission. That will be my first priority,” he plans to say. “They also shared how demoralizing it is to have so many vacancies and, frankly, not to feel relevant. I’ll do my part to end the vacancies, but I’ll need your help.”

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Pompeo’s hearing comes one week after the administration approved new sanctions on seven influential Russian oligarchs with ties to the government, under a law passed by Congress to punish Russian  interference in the 2016 presidential election. 

Both the U.S. and Russia have also expelled diplomats from each other’s countries in recent weeks over the poisoning of a former Russian double agent on British soil, which has been blamed on Russia, a claim the Russian government disputes as a Western plot to defame their country. 

Pompeo will also say that diplomatic efforts between the U.S. and Russia “must continue” despite being “challenging,” according to the report.

Updated at 9:11 p.m.