Central Intelligence Agency Director nominee Mike Pompeo told Sen. Joe Manchin Thursday that international terrorism remains the highest near-term threat to the U.S.

Manchin pressed Pompeo during the appointment hearing on which threat was the highest to the U.S., and Pompeo specified that the international terrorism emanating from Iraq and Syria remained the most immediate threat to everyday Americans. Pompeo clarified that Russia, China, and North Korea also remain threats to the U.S.

Pompeo’s opening statement also placed heavy emphasis on the threat of Islamic terrorism to the U.S.

“ISIS remains a resilient movement, has metastasized, and shockingly has controlled major urban centers in the Middle East for well over two years.” He continued, “the concern is making sure they, and those they inspire, are prevented from expanding their reach, returning home, or slaughtering more innocent people.”

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