Rex Tillerson Confirmed As Secretary Of State

Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of Exxon Mobil and President Trump's pick for secretary of State, was confirmed Wednesday by the Senate, officially securing his place in the Cabinet.

With a 56 to 43 vote, mostly along party lines, the nominee's final tally reflects the strong opposition Democrats had rallied to his appointment. During his confirmation hearings, Democrats questioned him on his views regarding climate change and his relationship to Russia; on the latter issue, many expressed concern that Tillerson would hesitate to impose sanctions on the Kremlin, given that these sanctions hurt the oil industry.

But Democrats weren't the only skeptics. Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, was critical of many of Tillerson's responses during questioning.

In particular, Tillerson failed to acknowledge the war crimes and human rights abuses of many foreign countries, including Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, and the Philippines.

Eventually, though, Rubio announced he would vote for the president's nominee despite his reservations.

Environmental advocacy groups also voiced opposition to Tillerson, primarily because of his connections to oil interests.

"Tillerson has no mandate. He was confirmed with substantially less support than any other Sec'y of State in history," said a statement from the Sierra Club. "It’s unconscionable that the Senate confirmed an oil executive to be America’s ambassador to the world."

Sen. Bob Corker, a Republican from Tennessee, praised the appointment in a statement.

"Following a fair and exchaustive review in our committee, I am confiednt Res Tillerosn has the ability to eb the effective leader the State Department needs," Corker said. "He expressed a commitment to defend American values and to restore U.S. credibility by strengthening our alliances and building new ones."

Photo credit: Office of the President-elect