President Donald Trump’s pick to helm the State Department, Rex Tillerson, narrowly won Senate approval on Wednesday.
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Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of SC also criticized Trump’s travel ban order and for failing to consult with key federal agencies, including the departments of Justice and Homeland Security.
Four Democrats voted in favor of Tillerson, including Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia.
Exxon Mobil chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson gestures while speaking at a discussion organized by the Economic Club of Washington on the energy innovations that have led to a new era of energy abundance for North America in Washington, DC on March 12, 2015.
Defend national security interests by taking concrete steps to limit US carbon emissions to ensure increases in global average temperatures remain below 2 degrees Celsius. Trump has repeatedly said that the move is aimed at protecting the nation against extremists looking to attack Americans and American interests. Tillerson reportedly has close ties with the Russian President Vladimir Putin, which has many of his opponents at Capitol Hill worrying that he would not be aggressive enough when Russia acted against U.S. interests.
President Trump tweeted previous year: “The thing I like best about Rex Tillerson is that he has vast experience at dealing successfully with all types of foreign governments”.
Tillerson will likely face internal challenges at the State Department, where hundreds of employees reportedly expressed dissent Tuesday to Trump’s executive travel ban.
Donnelly has voted for Trump’s choices to head the Central Intelligence Agency and the departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Transportation.
The Senate voted 56 to 43, with all Republican in support and most Democrats voting against him.
Sessions, who has a reputation for taking hard-line positions on immigration, is expected to be approved by the committee, paving the way for a full Senate vote on his confirmation as early as this week. Republicans hold a 52-seat majority.
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Tillerson’s confirmation comes after he did enough to convince a trio of hawkish Republicans that he could be trusted enough on Russian Federation to be confirmed. That said, it’s hard to imagine that after forty years with Exxon, Tillerson won’t be even the least bit tempted to help out his old pals next time he sits down with his favorite autocrat to discuss drilling rights.
