Senators voted 78-22 to approve Blinken, a longtime Biden confidant, as the country's 71st secretary of state, succeeding Mike Pompeo. Blinken, 58, served as deputy secretary of state and deputy national security adviser during the Obama administration. Shortly after his confirmation, Blinken took the oath of office at a private ceremony at the State Department. "American leadership still matters," Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at his Jan. 19 confirmation hearing. Blinken served on the National Security Council during the Clinton administration before becoming staff director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when Biden was chair of the panel.

Source: CBC News January 26, 2021 19:01 UTC