REX ON THE HOT SEAT
Tough questions for Trump’s State pick
WASHINGTON — Secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson vowed to put American interests first and not be swayed by his past oil business dealings if confirmed, and called intelligence reports of Russian meddling in the U.S. election campaign “clearly troubling.”
He also denied lobbying against Russian sanctions as Exxon Mobil’s top executive, and said he would advocate a much tougher stance against Russia than that of the Obama administration after the Russian annexation of Crimea.
“What Russian leadership would have understood was a powerful response,” said Tillerson, who said he would have helped bolster Crimean military fortification along the country’s western border.
But under intense questioning from Republican and Democratic members of the Foreign Relations Committee yesterday, Tillerson stopped short of calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal, and declined to support proposed legislation imposing automatic sanctions against nations that wage cyberattacks against the United States.
Such a measure would “leave the executive branch no latitude or flexibility” for broader negotiations, Tillerson told the Senate panel.
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) quickly seized on the nominee’s answers, taking to the Senate floor to question Tillerson’s willingness to stand up to Russia and Iran.
“If Mr. Tillerson cannot even say that he will support the existing sanctions, what kind of secretary of state will he be?” Schumer said.
The most heated exchanges of the hearing came during questioning by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, the Florida Republican and former primary opponent of President-elect Donald Trump. Rubio cited cases of dissidents being jailed and women denied basic rights in countries like China, Saudi Arabia and the Philippines.
“Do you consider what they are doing to be human rights violations?” Rubio asked.
“I would need greater information,” Tillerson said.
“What more information do you need?” Rubio said, noting that the reports of atrocities have been well-documented in news reports. Tillerson pushed back. “There seems to be some misunderstanding that somehow I see the world through a different lens, and I do not.”