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GOP Colleague Near Tears After Gesture from Senator Chris Coons

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Senator Chris Coons left the chair of the Foreign Relations Committee choking back tears this week.

The Delaware Democrat decided to vote present on the nomination of CIA Director Mike Pompeo for Secretary of State.

The Wilmington News Journal reports that he did so in order to spare his Republican colleague Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia from rushing back from a funeral of a close friend.

Committee chair Bob Corker (R-TN) welcomed the gesture noting that it was a welcome break from the partisan tension that has gripped Capitol Hill.

Coons noted that his vote would not have changed the ultimate out that now sends Pompeo’s nomination to the Senate floor.

The senator said that he would have voted against Pompeo along with the rest of his Democratic colleagues on the committee.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.