Tillerson becomes nation’s top diplomat
The Republican-controlled Senate on Wednesday confirmed Rex Tillerson to be secretary of state, a crucial member of President Donald Trump’s national security team.
Tillerson was quickly sworn in during a ceremony in the Oval Office, where Trump showered him with praise.
“You understand that the job of our diplomats and the mission of the State Department is to serve the interests of the United States of America to make our nation safer, our country more prosperous and our country much more secure,” the president told him. “I do believe we can achieve peace and stability in these very, very troubled times.”
Senators voted 56-43 to approve the former Exxon Mobil CEO after Democrats mounted a vocal yet unsuccessful campaign to derail the bid. They said they feared his four-decade career at the energy giant meant he’d view the world only through the lens of a corporate executive and questioned whether he would confront Trump when he believes the president is wrong.
But Republicans rejected the complaints and declared Tillerson highly qualified for the job. He’ll have his hands full as soon as he’s sworn in, grappling with many of the same geopolitical dilemmas his predecessors did. As senators cast their ballots, the Trump White House put Tehran “on notice” after the Iranian military tested a ballistic missile and allied rebels in Yemen attacked a Saudi naval vessel in the Red Sea.
Among those voting for Tillerson was U.S Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tuls, who praised Tiller’s confirmation.
“I am pleased that the Senate has voted to confirm Rex Tillerson to be our secretary of state,” Inhofe said. “Not only is Rex a world-class business man who has worked with companies in countries all around the globe, but he is an accomplished leader and tough negotiator.
“I believe that his experience and institutional knowledge will serve him well in this role and will go a long way as he works to strengthen the standing of the United States worldwide.”
Challenges ahead
Tillerson also will have to deal with any fallout stemming from Trump’s executive order on immigration and travel that halts entry for 90 days to citizens from seven majority-Muslim nations.
“I am confident Rex Tillerson has the ability to be the effective leader the State Department needs,” said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.
Corker cast Tillerson’s experience at Exxon Mobil as a plus, saying he led a global enterprise with 75,000 employees and forged “deep relationships” with world leaders.
One of those, with Russian President Vladimir Putin, alarmed his opponents on Capitol Hill who believed he was too cozy with the Russian leader and wouldn’t push back aggressively enough when Moscow acted against U.S. interests. Tillerson received an honorific — the Order of Friendship — from Putin’s government in 2013.
Wednesday’s vote to confirm Tillerson came exactly three weeks after a rocky confirmation hearing before the Foreign Relations Committee. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., clashed with Tillerson, bridling at his refusal to label Putin a “war criminal” and his failure to condemn human rights violations in Saudi Arabia and the Philippines in strong enough terms. He chided Tillerson over the need for “moral clarity.”