AJWS Issues Statement on Mike Pompeo Nomination for Secretary of State

NEW YORK, April 10 -- American Jewish World Service issued the following statement by President and CEO Robert Bank in advance of Secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo's confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee:

"As Jewish Americans who are committed to upholding the dignity of people of every background and to advancing human rights worldwide, we call on the United States Senate to reject the nomination of Mike Pompeo to serve as Secretary of State.

"We believe that Pompeo has disqualified himself from serving as Secretary of State through his decades-long history of making prejudicial statements about Muslims; opposing equal rights for LGBTQI people; rejecting climate science and calling on the U.S. to withdraw from international climate change agreements; and supporting extreme policies that use U.S. foreign aid dollars to restrict the reproductive rights of women around the world and punish organizations that provide women with the full range of reproductive health information and counseling.

"AJWS has a long and productive track record of working closely with the State Department under administrations of both parties to advance human rights and support our partners in the developing world who are promoting justice and equality. We believe deeply in the mission of the State Department and the crucial role that the Secretary of State plays globally in representing our nation's values of equality under the law and justice for all. Through our previous work with Secretaries of State, we have witnessed firsthand how the State Department can, and should, promote human rights worldwide. President Trump's nomination of Mike Pompeo, a man who has long opposed basic tenets of equality, sends a dangerous message to the world about our nation's commitment to upholding those very human rights for people worldwide.

"The U.S. must have a Secretary of State who will use the power and influence of the office to advance human rights for all people and communities worldwide. As Jews, we have too often been the victims of state-sanctioned prejudice and coercion throughout history. We strongly oppose the nomination of any individual who would pursue policies rooted in prejudice and intolerance and who would use U.S. policy to compromise the rights of some of the most vulnerable people in the world."