President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to run the Central Intelligence Agency, Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS), seems less certain about the connection between climate change and national security.
In an exchange with Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) Thursday, Pompeo dodged questions about climate change and the threat it poses to U.S. national security, telling Harris that he did not want to get into a debate about climate change and climate science because he did not see it as central to his role in the CIA.
“Frankly, as the director of CIA, would prefer today not to get into the details of the climate debate and science,” Pompeo said. “It seems — my role is going to be so different and unique from that. It is going to be to work alongside warriors keeping Americans safe and so I stand by the things I’ve said previously with respect to that issue.”
When asked if that meant Pompeo doubts NASA’s findings that scientists overwhelming agree that climate change is both occurring and man-made, Pompeo refused to answer.
“I haven’t spent enough time to tell you that I’ve looked at NASA’s findings in particular,” he said. “I can’t give you any judgment about that today.”
