White House hails Senate committee approval of Pompeo as secretary of state

WASHINGTON - The White House on Monday commended the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's favorable recommendation of Secretary of State-designate Mike Pompeo.

US media reported that Pompeo, the new pick of US President Donald Trump to replace Rex Tillerson to be the new secretary of state, advanced out of committee earlier Monday with an 11-9 vote, winning a favorable report.

With the outcome, "the American people are one step closer to having their top diplomat in place at a critical time in our history," the White House said in an announcement.

"Pompeo is an integral part of the president's vision going forward. We look forward to the full Senate confirming him in the coming days," the White House added.

Trump announced his intention to replace Tillerson with Pompeo, chief of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), on March 13.

Pompeo, a Trump loyalist, is seen as a hawk in foreign policy. As Trump's envoy, he secretly met with Kim Jong-un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in Pyongyang earlier this month, which has caught global attention.