WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jack Reed, an ex officio member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, today issued the following statement:

“President Trump keeps making an already complex set of foreign policy challenges worse by creating ruptures with our closest allies, trying to under-fund crucial agencies, and generating turmoil when it comes to his own administration.

“National security cannot be run like a reality TV show.  If the Trump Administration continues hollowing out the State Department, it will weaken America’s diplomatic power and further fray our relationships with key partners and allies. 

“I have serious concerns about Director Pompeo’s nomination to lead the State Department and Deputy Director Haspel’s nomination to helm the CIA.  During the confirmation process, they will both need to be honest and forthright with the American people concerning their records and articulate a strategy to deal with a variety of threats from North Korea to Russia and Iran.”