Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Tuesday that the selection of Rex Tillerson to be secretary of state is troubling both because of his Russian connections and his lack of diplomatic experience.
Speaking on CNN, Klobuchar said that while the Exxon Mobil CEO might have business dealings with countries all over the world, that’s not the same as having foreign policy experience. She added that his selection at a time when fears over Russia’s hacking of U.S. political networks are at an all-time high is worrying.
“I’m sure he has excellent business credentials, but Donald Trump has chosen to put someone in as the nominee who does not have foreign policy or diplomatic experience, and has these ties to Russia,” she said. “I think that’s the conflagration you see going on right now.”
Klobuchar said Tillerson’s nomination by Trump will be treated fairly by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and he’ll receive a proper vetting by senators on both sides of the aisle. She said she’s willing to hear his case for being confirmed before deciding on how to vote.
However, Trump could have made his life a lot easier by nominating someone like Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the committee, or former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, she said.
“People like Sen. Corker or even Mitt Romney would have most likely sailed through the process because people know them … and they have diplomatic experience and experience in government,” she said.
Klobuchar echoed calls for an independent congressional investigation into Russia’s hacking of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton campaign director John Podesta.
While the Central Intelligence Agency has alleged Russia’s goal was to swing the election for Trump, Klobuchar said she’s not sure of that. She hopes an investigation would help answer that question.
“You have the hacking, you have Hillary Clinton’s campaign decision to not focus on some of those Midwestern states,” she said, when asked about what caused Clinton’s defeat. “The one thing we can change going forward as the focus of the Democratic Party … is to focus in a laser-like way on the economy.”
