Former President George W. Bush supports Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson’s nomination to lead the State Department, according to a top Republican senator.
“[A]ppreciated a call I received from President George W. Bush, who spoke highly of Mr. Tillerson and offered support for his nomination,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., tweeted Friday.
Also appreciated a call I received from President George W. Bush, who spoke highly of Mr. Tillerson and offered support for his nomination.
— Senator Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker) December 16, 2016
Bush is the latest Republican leader to back Tillerson for secretary of state, which might help alleviate the concerns that some Senate Republicans have about Tillerson’s working relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“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,” Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said after President-elect Trump announced Tillerson’s nomination.
Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who served under Bush and President Obama, as well as former Bush administration Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, endorsed Tillerson. “I think it’s a mistake to think that because Rex Tillerson successfully did business in Russia that he’s best friends with Vladimir Putin,” Gates, who is a partner with Rice in a consulting firm that advises Exxon Mobil, said Thursday. “I think that’s just a completely false narrative.”
Bush’s support is particularly remarkable, as he is intervening in an intra-party debate on behalf of Trump’s highest profile foreign policy advisor. It’s an unusual alliance, given how Trump savaged Bush’s foreign policy record during the GOP presidential primaries. “I want to tell you: they lied,” Trump said during a GOP debate. “They said there were weapons of mass destruction… There were none and they knew there were none. There were no weapons of mass destruction.”
The George W. Bush Presidential Center didn’t respond to a request for comment.
