Politico: Rubio to back Tillerson, effectively ensuring confirmation

Published Jan. 23, 2017 at 5:58 pm

Former ExxonMobil executive Rex Tillerson, US President-elect Donald Trump's pick for US Secretary off State, attends the Chairman's Global Dinner a black-tie, invitation-only dinner aimed at introducing foreign diplomats to the team tasked with implementing the "America First" policies of the next administration, in Washington, DC on January 17, 2017.

Photo by AFP

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) will support Rex Tillerson’s nomination to be secretary of state, ensuring that Trump’s pick to be the nation’s top diplomat won’t face an embarrassing “unfavorable” verdict in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Jan. 23.

The Florida senator said that he remains “concerned” about Tillerson’s answers earlier this month on human rights issues regarding Russia, the Philippines and Saudi Arabia. But he said that his deference to the president was a deciding factor, after threatening for weeks to oppose Tillerson’s nomination.