Trump Pick for Top Diplomat Dismisses Claims He Is a War Hawk

U.S. President Donald Trump's choice for Secretary of State, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at his confirmation hearing Thursday that claims he is a war hawk are unfounded.

Pompeo told committee members he would be a strong advocate of diplomacy if confirmed.

"The best outcomes are always won at the diplomatic table," the West Point graduate and former Army officer said.

WATCH: LIVE Mike Pompeo confirmation hearing

Pompeo also said he would fill the many State Department posts that were left vacant under former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Trump nominated Pompeo to serve as the nation's top diplomat after he fired Tillerson last month. Tillerson had a rocky relationship with the president and clashed repeatedly with White House staff.

Pompeo, a former conservative Tea Party congressman, has developed a close relationship with Trump and is perceived as being a more fervent believer in Trump’s America First approach.

Stephen Pomper of the International Crisis Group said, if confirmed, Pompeo's synergy with the president should serve him well.

"The State Department wants to be at the vanguard of U.S. foreign policy. That was very difficult for Secretary Rex Tillerson to do because it was known that there was distance between him and the president. So when he would go out and have conversations with foreign leaders, it was often questioned whether or not he was really representing President Trump's views. I don't think Secretary Pompeo will have that problem," he said.

Trump said Thursday that Pompeo "will be a great Secretary of State!"

Ariel Cohen of the Atlantic Council said, "I think Pompeo is more of a hawk, more of a Trumpian, more of this sort of new wave of what I would call American nationalism, and we see countries becoming more nationalistic all over the world."

Pompeo has been far more critical than Trump of Moscow's alleged attempts to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

U.S.-Russia tensions escalated last week after the Syrian government's alleged chemical attack on its civilians, with Moscow and Damascus denying any Syrian role.

^{Rob Raffaele contributed to this report.}

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