Mike Pompeo was sworn in as U.S. President Donald Trump's secretary of state shortly after the Senate confirmed his nomination, putting the former CIA director in a pivotal role to handle U.S. foreign policy challenges such as North Korea and Iran. Pompeo, a former army officer who was a Republican congressman, is regarded as a Trump loyalist with hawkish world views. Pompeo narrowly avoided a historic rebuke by the Senate foreign relations committee. Protesters voice their opposition prior to Pompeo's testimony before a Senate foreign relations committee confirmation hearing on his nomination to be secretary of state on Capitol Hill in Washington on April 12. Pompeo avoided being the first nominee for secretary of state ever rejected by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee only when Republican Senator Rand Paul, who had vowed to oppose him, announced his support minutes before the committee voted on Monday after pressure from the party.

Source: CBC News April 26, 2018 17:37 UTC