Secretary of State Mike Pompeo turned the tables on Sen. Bob Menendez (D., N.J.) this week, blaming the New Jersey Democrat for blocking at least a dozen qualified candidates for key diplomatic posts.
Over the last year, Menendez has repeatedly blasted President Trump for jeopardizing U.S. foreign policy by failing to nominate candidates for key foreign policy posts.
“How can we possibly expect to assert American leadership and secure our interests with these posts unfilled, with no empowered individuals at the Department itself?” Menendez asked in the speech.
Menendez continued the same line of criticism this week. While reacting to U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley’s resignation, the New Jersey Democrat argued that the administration’s “inability to adequately or appropriately fill key national security positions puts our nation at risk.”
The statement angered Pompeo, who tangled with Menendez during his own Senate confirmation process and several times since.
The comments from Menendez, who is locked in tight re-election campaign, are particularly vexing for Pompeo who has repeatedly pledged to fill key posts in the months since his confirmation as a way to help the State Department get its “swagger back.
Pompeo issued a press release Wednesday night that was unusually critical of a sitting senator coming from a secretary of state. In it, he placed the blame for any national security “risk” to the nation squarely “at the feet” of Menendez, who he accused of obstructing with the help of his Senate Democratic colleagues. – READ MORE
[divider][/divider][contentcards url=”https://freebeacon.com/national-security/menendez-blames-trump-not-filling-diplomatic-posts-blocks/” target=”_blank”]