Mike Pompeo can actually be beaten (and here's a leaked copy of his testimony)

Mike Pompeo goes before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee tomorrow for a round of questioning, and I got ahold of a copy of his prepared remarks. You can read them in full here, but the gist is that he's offended at the notion that he is a war hawk and he promises to consider not ripping up the Iran deal if he's confirmed. Two quick things on that: 1. He is in fact a war hawk and floated bombing Iran with "2,000 sorties" in the midst of the negotiations that eventually led to the Iran deal. 2. He promised during the hearing for his nomination to be CIA director that he would review the Iran deal objectively, and that turned out to be a demonstrable lie. ("Good," he told CIA analysts who informed him Iran appeared to be complying with the deal. "But we know they're cheating anyway—we're just not seeing it.") But the good news for Pompeo opponents is that he can actually be beaten. The bad news is that it will require Senate Democrats to stiffen their spines and unite against him. I have a story up today on his testimony and on the furious grassroots organizing going on to try to push Senate Democrats to stand up to Pompeo. (People often ask me where there is a petition they can sign. Well, here's the big one. And here's how to make calls.) It's late, so I'm making this note short. You can read the full story here.This email grows by word of mouth. If you enjoy getting it, please forward this note to friends and tell them to sign up to start getting their own copy here. I'm the Washington bureau chief at The Intercept, and I send this several times a week. If you want to contribute directly to help keep the thing running, you can do so here, though be warned a donation comes with no tote bags or extra premium content or anything. Or you can support it by buying a copy of Schoolhouse Wreck: The Betsy DeVos Story, Out of the Ooze: The Story of Dr. Tom Price or Wall Street's White House, the first three books put out by Strong Arm Press, a small progressive publishing house I cofounded. See upcoming titles here. Sent via ActionNetwork.org. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Grim News, please click here.