Arizona Senator Jeff Flake said he’s feeling positive about President Donald Trump’s pick to replace Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with CIA director Mike Pompeo.
While Flake is not happy about how the president handled Tillerson’s ousting, he is pleased with Pompeo’s nomination and said confirmation hearings should be expedited to get him in the job ahead of the Korean talks.
Flake also praised Pompeo’s attitude on Russian election interference.
"His statements on Russia have been good," he said. "He acknowledges Russia played a role he agrees with the assessment of the intelligence community and that’s good."
Flake said he’s anxious to see if Pompeo sticks to those views. During his confirmation hearing, Pompeo is expected to be asked about his loyalty to Trump and his approach toward Russia.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
