A top GOP senator says he respects President-elect Trump’s selection for secretary of state but there are still questions that need to be answered.
Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., will lead the Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearings for Rex Tillerson, Exxon Mobil CEO and future nominee for secretary of state. Corker told Fox News he knows Tillerson as a smart, confident, calm man, but there are questions about Tillerson’s foreign policy background that require answering.
“Rex Tillerson, he comes at this as a clean slate where nobody understands what those views are,” he said. “People are going to want to know.”
Tillerson was chosen by Trump to be his secretary of state on Tuesday, but has been greeted with skepticism from lawmakers from both parties who are worried about his ties to Russia. Corker himself was a candidate for the job.
Tillerson has a friendly relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin as Exxon Mobil’s leader and worked on business deals with many oil-producing countries. Corker said these relationships are going to require exploring during the confirmation process.
“I begin this with knowledge that I have tremendous respect for this person,” Corker said. “He’s competent, he’s done big things, he’s a great American. I begin there, but I do want to prove these things.”
Despite the skepticism about Tillerson, Corker said he’s confident the oil company executive will be confirmed.
“I’m going to assume that unless he’s going to try and reorder the world through our relationships, he will be,” Corker said.
