WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to confirm former ExxonMobil chief executive Rex Tillerson as the nation’s next secretary of state.
The vote in favor of President Trump’s pick for a key Cabinet position fell mostly along party lines. Republican lawmakers such as Marco Rubio, John McCain and Lindsey Graham, all of whom have voiced concerns with the new president’s policies, voted to affirm the nomination.
Tillerson’s nomination required only a simple majority — 51 votes. The final vote was 56 in favor, 43 against.
Three Democrats also voted in favor of Tillerson, including Senators Joe Manchin, Heidi Heitkamp, and Mark Warner. Angus King, an Independent who caucuses with the Democrats, also voted in for Tillerson.
Tillerson’s strong ties to the Russian community and President Vladimir Putin raised alarms among some Republicans. Tillerson and Putin have worked in close quarters, the American received an Order of Friendship award from the Russian president. But after a sit-down with the nominee, several Republicans said their worries had been hushed after a conversation.
Sen. Marco Rubio, who himself last summer made an unsuccessful attempt at Pennsylvania Ave., held out his support as long as he could after Tillerson refused to say that he would support the continuation of sanctions against Russia over their aggression in Ukraine. Rubio was also concerned. He was also concerned Tillerson refused to say he would support sanctions against Moscow for meddling in the U.S. presidential election.
Amnesty International said “the eyes of the world” will be on Tillerson.
“As Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson’s priority must be human rights,” the group said. “However, during his confirmation hearings, he seemed to balk at acknowledging governments that we have long known to turn a blind eye toward human rights. His previous business deals have shown that he has no qualms about working with regimes with appalling human rights records.”