Democrats must decide whether they love their country more than they hate President Donald Trump, and agree to approve CIA Director Mike Pompeo as the next secretary of state, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Monday.
"We certainly hope that some members will change their minds," Sanders told Fox News' "Fox and Friends."
"At some point, Democrats have to decide whether they love this country more than they hate this president, and they have to decide that they want to put the safety and the security and the diplomacy of our country ahead of their own political game."
Pompeo, she said, is a highly qualified person who graduated at the top of his class at Harvard and West Point, and has been an "impeccable CIA director."
Further, lawmakers have confirmed past secretaries of state unanimously, including when Republicans agreed on the nominations of Hillary Clinton and John Kerry for the posts under former President Barack Obama, even while they did not agree with them politically.
"They knew how important this position was and they didn't play games with it," she said. "Democrats need to do the same thing with Mike Pompeo and confirm him. He has been one of the leading people when it comes to the negotiations and the conversations with North Korea. To stop that would be incredibly dangerous and damaging for our country and for the world."
However, there have been a handful of Republicans against Pompeo's confirmation as well, including Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, who says he has not made up his mind.
"Director Pompeo has spent hours upon hours with the president briefing him on the most sensitive topics and information that our country has," said Sanders. "They have a great chemistry. They are on the same page. Otherwise, the president wouldn't have put him in there after spending so much time with him...Rand Paul should have faith in the president's decision as a supporter of his that he is making the right decision for our country. And he should certainly be supportive of what the president is trying to do."
Sanders also spoke about French President Emmanuel Macron's upcoming state visit, and how first lady Melania Trump is preparing for it.
"This is our country's oldest ally," said Sanders. "They have been a great partner. The president and President Macron have had a great relationship since the very beginning. We have a lot of the things we can work with. One of the biggest trading partners we have in Europe."
Meanwhile, the first lady has been "incredible" through the planning, and "has done all this on her own without bringing in an outside consultant...this is going to be a spectacular couple of days."
There will be serious business also discussed, however, she said, including about the Iran nuclear deal, as France and Germany want to stay in it.
"The president has been very clear about the dislike he has for this deal and how he wants to make sure that we get something better," she said.
Sanders also discussed the ongoing situation in North Korea, pointing out that China has helped to play a role in the upcoming summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
"We hope that they will continue to help us put pressure on North Korea and continue to help us be a partner in getting to that ultimate goal of denuclearizing the peninsula," she said.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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