Rex Tillerson Clears Another Hurdle for Secretary of State Position
January 23 2017 - 6:11PM
Dow Jones News
By Byron Tau
WASHINGTON -- Despite lingering concerns from some Republicans,
secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson cleared a key procedural
hurdle on Monday, all but ensuring he will be approved as the
nation's top diplomat.
Mr. Tillerson, the former chief executive of Exxon Mobil Corp.,
won a favorable recommendation in an 11-to-10 vote along party
lines from the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on Monday
afternoon. His nomination will be considered by the full Senate in
the coming days, where he is expected to be confirmed.
Overcoming a rocky confirmation hearing earlier this month where
he was grilled by members of both parties, Mr. Tillerson won the
support of three leading foreign-policy voices within his party who
had wavered for weeks on whether to support him over their concerns
about his ties to the Russian government.
As head of Exxon Mobil, Mr. Tillerson had cultivated deep
business ties to senior figures in the Russia government --
prompting tough questions from both Democrats and Republicans
during his confirmation hearing. His former company's lobbying on
sanctions issues also came under scrutiny.
But congressional resistance to Mr. Tillerson essentially
evaporated over the weekend, as other Senate Republicans who had
been undecided said they would support him -- all but ensuring he
will win enough votes in the Senate. Republicans Lindsey Graham of
South Carolina and John McCain of Arizona both said on Sunday they
would support Mr. Tillerson.
Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida also said he would support Mr.
Tillerson. No vote was more important to Mr. Tillerson's successful
confirmation than that of Mr. Rubio, who occupies a key seat on the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee that will vote Monday on the
nomination.
Republicans have a one-vote advantage on the panel, meaning that
Mr. Rubio's support was seen as crucial to moving Mr. Tillerson's
nomination to the floor with a recommendation that he be confirmed
for the job. The full U.S. Senate still could have confirmed Mr.
Tillerson without approval of a majority of the panel, but such a
procedure is extremely rare.
"Given the uncertainty that exists both at home and abroad about
the direction of our foreign policy, it would be against our
national interests to have this confirmation unnecessarily delayed
or embroiled in controversy. Therefore, despite my reservations, I
will support Mr. Tillerson's nomination in committee and in the
full Senate," Mr. Rubio, a Florida Republican, said in a statement
posted to Facebook on Monday.
During the hearing, Mr. Rubio also expressed concern about
whether Mr. Tillerson and the new Trump administration would take
an aggressive enough line against Russia. President Donald Trump
has indicated that he believes the U.S. should pursue improved
relations with Moscow.
No Democrats supported Mr. Tillerson in the committee vote, but
he could win some Democratic support when the full Senate considers
his nomination. Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, the senior Democrat on
the panel, said in a statement Monday that he would oppose Mr.
Tillerson over some of the former CEO's comments during his
confirmation hearings.
"After long and careful consideration, I believe Mr. Tillerson's
demonstrated business orientation and his responses to questions
during the confirmation hearing could compromise his ability as
Secretary of State to forcefully promote the values and ideals that
have defined our country and our leading role in the world for more
than 200 years," Mr. Cardin said.
Write to Byron Tau at byron.tau@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 23, 2017 17:56 ET (22:56 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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