The Senate has approved the nomination of Mike Pompeo, former CIA director, to succeed Rex Tillerson as secretary of state through a 57-42 vote, the New York Times reported Thursday.
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito swore in Pompeo shortly after the upper chamber gave its final confirmation.
The report said Pompeo flew to Brussels to meet with representatives of NATO allies, his first trip as the U.S.’ top diplomat, and is scheduled to visit Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Jerusalem and Amman in Jordan over the weekend.
Pompeo previously served three terms as representative for Kansas’s 4th congressional district in the House and also served on the lower chamber’s Intelligence and Energy and Commerce committees.
He spent five years on active duty at the U.S. Army. His civilian career includes time as a tax litigation lawyer at Williams & Connolly, CEO of Thayer Aerospace and president of Sentry International.
