Florida Senator Marco Rubio has not decided whether or not he will vote in favor of Rex Tillerson, Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State.
Rubio explained that he’s waiting for Tillerson’s responses to written questions that were sent to him after last week’s Senate Foreign Relations committee hearing where Rubio was arguably the toughest Republican when questioning Tillerson on Trump’s foreign policy.“We’re going to go through the transcripts of the hearing, which I’ve begun to do,” Rubio said. “We need to have a foreign policy that while always acting in the national interest of the United States is always rooted in our values as a nation.”
Tillerson’s announcement as President-elect Trump’s Secretary of State pick was controversial and has drawn criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike. Rubio himself supports tougher sanctions on Russia in light of accusations that Russia interfered in the 2016 Presidential election, and Russia is a topic that Tillerson and Rubio do not agree on.
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As it stands, the Naples Daily News reports that the committee is split 11-10 in favor of Republicans. Since Democrats are expected to vote “no” on Tillerson, this puts Rubio in a tough position.
Rex Tillerson was recommended by Bob Gates and Condi Rice, and is a longtime friend of James Baker. Hardly the pedigree of a Putin stooge.
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) December 12, 2016
After the hearing, which saw Tillerson and Rubio butt heads on Russia and Putin, Rubio did make it clear that he has no personal issues with Tillerson by praising his intentions to work for the United States.
“I have no questions about your character, your patrioism. You don’t need this job,” Rubio said. “There’s only one reason for you to be sitting behind that table today, and this is your love for this country and your willingness to serve it.”
