President-elect Trump’s selection of Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson for the secretary of state post is a bold choice from the private sector that all but guarantees a fierce confirmation battle.
Tillerson, with his close business ties to Russia and President Vladimir Putin, has drawn early opposition from a trio of key Republicans who could band together and would only need just one more Republican on their side to block him.
Republican Sens. John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Marco Rubio have voiced early concerns about Tillerson’s relationship with Russia. All three just won re-election and have breathing room to take tough stands against Trump.
“When he gets the friendship award from a butcher, frankly, it’s an issue that I think needs to be examined,” McCain, R-Ariz., said Monday, referring to the Russian Order of Friendship award that Tillerson received from Putin in 2013.
Graham, R-S.C., issued a cautious statement Tuesday morning, saying he looks forward to meeting Tillerson and promises that the U.S.-Russia relationship with be “front and center” during the confirmation hearings.
“I look forward to meeting Mr. Tillerson and discussing his world view — especially his views of the U.S.-Russian relationship,” Graham said. “Based upon his extensive business dealings with the Putin government and his previous opposition to efforts to impose sanctions on the Russian government, there are many questions which must be answered.”
Rubio, meanwhile, was far more skeptical, expressing “serious concerns about the nomination” in a statement early Tuesday.
“While Rex Tillerson is a respected businessman, I have serious concerns about his nomination,” Rubio said. “The next secretary of state must be someone who views the world with moral clarity, is free of potential conflicts of interest, has a clear sense of America’s interests, and will be a forceful advocate for America’s foreign policy goals to the president, within the administration, and on the world stage.”
Rubio, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, also promised to do his part to ensure that Tillerson receives “a full and fair but also thorough hearing.”
Republicans hold just a one-seat majority on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which is charged with holding Tillerson’s confirmation hearings in early January. If Rubio votes against the nomination, he could deadlock the panel, which would amount to an embarrassing internal Senate rebuke of one of the incoming Republican president’s top Cabinet selections.
The trio’s warning signs stand in stark contrast to Senate GOP leaders’ early reactions to Tillerson’s nomination.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Tuesday said he looked forward to supporting the nomination and praised the CEO for his “decades of experience” and for being “widely recognized for forward-looking strategic planning, managing international partnerships and risk, and focused leadership around the world.”
McConnell went on to say that Tillerson’s business background and international knowledge “would play an important role after eight years of the Obama administration’s uncertain leadership.”
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, also committed to supporting Tillerson’s nomination, arguing that his successful tenure leading a “large multinational corporation reflects a keen ability to navigate complex geopolitical issues across the globe.”
McConnell could still bring the nomination to the floor for consideration even if it failed in committee. But McConnell would need to ensure that there were 50 or 51 votes in the full Senate to approve the nomination, either by keeping GOP losses to a minimum and having Mike Pence, who would then be vice president, use his power to break a Senate tie or by picking up a vote or two from Democrats.
“It could go onto the executive calendar with a negative report from the foreign relations committee in Tillerson’s case and the report from the committee would be, hey, we don’t think this is the guy that you should vote for,” a senior GOP aide told the Washington Examiner.
No Democrats on the Foreign Relations panel are likely to cross the aisle to support Tillerson. The committee’s ranking member, Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, Tuesday issued a statement taking issue with Exxon Mobil’s “troubling history with climate science and the environment” and questioning Tillerson’s corporate conflicts of interest and lack of diplomatic experience.
Cardin also said he is “deeply troubled” by Tillerson’s vocal opposition to U.S. sanctions on Russia.
Joel Gehrke contributed to this report.
