[PJ] WASHINGTON ‐ Retired Gen. David Petraeus, who was under consideration as President Trump’s secretary of State after the 2016 election, applauded Trump’s trade actions toward China as "long overdue" as well as his choice of CIA Director Mike Pompeo to lead the State Department.
"He’s a very bright individual ‐ No. 1 in his class at West Point ‐ that’s a special breed of an individual, Harvard Law School, successful businessman, obviously a successful political figure and has been a strong director of the CIA," Petraeus said during a Veterans in Global Leadership reception on Thursday evening.
"So what I would look for there, in particular, would be how quickly can they get qualified individuals nominated and confirmed, because a State Department without confirmed assistant secretaries of State is a State Department that doesn’t have one of its most important elements," he added.
Petraeus, who served CIA director under President Obama, said many people are wondering why it’s taking so long for the Senate to confirm assistant secretaries of State and why there has been "such an exodus" of senior ranking officials at the State Department.
"It’s hard to understand what is the dynamic here, what was all that about, but my hope would certainly be that Mike Pompeo, recognizing the issues that exist, will be able to work effectively with the White House and with the president, with whom he’s developed, obviously, a very strong relationship and mutual respect," he said. "He’s a strong leader and I would hope that we would see quick results on that front, in particular." 
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