Presidential contender and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is fighting members of his own party in the Senate as it moves toward a possible vote on the nomination of State Department official Roberta Jacobson to be the next U.S. ambassador to Mexico.
Jacobson is known for leading negotiations that helped the U.S. and Cuba take steps toward normalized relations, a move that many Republicans and Democrats opposed, especially Cuban-Americans like Rubio.
On Tuesday, Rubio released a lengthy statement saying Jacobson oversaw the division within the State Department that downgraded Cuba as a country involved in human trafficking. He said that sends a “chilling signal about the integrity of U.S. human trafficking assessments of a country that investigations have shown to be one of the top destinations in the Americas for sex tourism.”
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Rubio, who leads the Washington Examiner’s power rankings, also said Jacobson and the Obama administration have so far failed to push Cuba on human rights effectively, and said her inability to provide clear answers to his questions makes her untrustworthy.
“We need an ambassador in Mexico City that has the trust of Congress for this important post,” he said. “I do not believe that Ms. Jacobson is that person and will oppose her confirmation.”
Despite Rubio’s objection, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday approved Jacobson’s nomination in a 12-7 vote. Six of the “no” votes were from Republicans, and the seventh was from another Cuban-American, Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J.
It’s not clear whether or when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., might bring up Jacobson’s nomination for a vote on the Senate floor.
And while Republicans like Rubio don’t want the vote to move ahead, others are pushing for Jacobson to be confirmed. Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, has said her work on Cuba shouldn’t disqualify here, and has called on senators to let her through.
“My point is I just believe that the bilateral relationship with Mexico is so important to the United States and to Texas, and we simply need to fill that position,” he said, according to the Texas Tribune.
