President Donald Trump’s secretary of State pick Mike Pompeo is likely to be rejected by a Senate panel after all its Democrats opposed his nomination, but he may still win final confirmation next week.

Senator Chris Coons on Friday became the last Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to announce his position. The panel has 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats.

With Republican Rand Paul joining all the Democrats in opposition, Pompeo is now expected to be reported unfavorably out of committee — a rare result — despite a full court press by the White House to get him across the line. “I do not make this decision lightly or without reservations,” Coons said in a statement.

Coons said he worried that Pompeo “will embolden, rather than moderate or restrain, President Trump’s most belligerent and dangerous instincts.”

The committee’s Republican chairman, Senator Bob Corker, has scheduled a Monday panel vote. Regardless of the outcome, Corker is expected to report the nominee to the full Senate for a vote.

Source: AFP