washington representative mike pompeo president-elect donald trump surprise choice head cia support u.s. government sweep collection americans communications data want scrap nuclear deal iran retire army officer west point harvard law school graduate also defend cia use interrogation techniques widely condemn torture kansas republican criticize democratic presidential candidate hillary clinton use private email server secretary state handle 2012 attack u.s. post benghazi libya member house representatives intelligence committee pompeo 52 first elect 2010 tea party wave congressional district center hometown wichita members party regard intelligent collegial capable keen grasp national security issue mike bright hard-working devote help agency develop best possible intelligence policy makers say adam schiff top democrat house intelligence committee share strong differences principally politicization tragedy benghazi know someone will listen engage pompeo serious guy study issue carefully say former national security agency cia director michael hayden civil liberties human right advocate however express concern pompeo selection oppose close guantanamo bay detention center also criticize support national security agency now-defunct bulk communications metadata collection surveillance program position others merit serious public scrutiny confirmation process say anthony romero executive director american civil liberties union january op-ed wall street journal co-author pompeo call fundamental upgrade america surveillance capabilities include resume bulk collection domestic phone metadata number time stamp call content program federal appeal court two governmental review panel find illegal ineffective expand include publicly available financial lifestyle information comprehensive searchable database legal bureaucratic impediments surveillance remove write also call death penalty edward snowden nsa contractor disclose existence metadata program top-secret surveillance program pompeo stand good chance confirm republican-controlled senate announcement nomination warmly greet senator richard burr chairman senate intelligence committee conduct confirmation hear pompeo forefront attack congress clinton accuse criminality store email contain classify information private server serve republican-led house committee investigate attack islamist extremists u.s. diplomatic cia post benghazi kill four americans panel find wrongdoing administration pompeo another member append final report commentary accuse clinton officials fail protect post respond appropriately attack democrats accuse pompeo use inaccurate information exaggerate allege failures clinton benghazi.some pompeo position also odds assessments intelligence officer analysts trump want command argue cia use harsh interrogation techniques include waterboarding simulate drown produce useful intelligence current cia director john brennan say would resign order resume practice cia military officer fbi agents say so-called enhance interrogation techniques produce reliable information prisoners say anything end suffer one cia official put pompeo also odds intelligence community assessment 2015 deal lift financial sanction iran return limit nuclear program vow overturn deal suggest 2014 roundtable journalists unite state bomb iran nuclear facilities proposal u.s. intelligence experts say would delay tehran development warhead halt pompeo also oppose regulation greenhouse gas emissions combat climate change cia recently create mission center global issue track global warm threat u.s. security take position odds trump notably russia action ukraine military support syrian president bashar al-assad also support iran russia establish toehold middle east iranian-russian axis largely run free pompeo tell security forum 2015. pompeo bear california graduate first class u.s. military academy west point artillery officer army five years receive degree harvard law school editor prestigious harvard law review trump 's cia pick support domestic surveillance oppose iran deal