The United States Senate on Wednesday confirmed Rex Tillerson as the secretary of state, making the former Exxon Mobil CEO a crucial cog in US President Donald Trump's national security team.
Tillerson was sworn in during a ceremony at the Oval Office, where Trump praised him and said that the billionaire will assist in making America more secure.
Ignoring Russia ties, Donald Trump picks ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as secretary of state
"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. I do believe we can achieve peace and stability in these very, very troubled times," Trump told Tillerson.
Although the Democrats in the Senate attempted to derail Tillerson's bid to the top position, he was voted 56-43 in a Republican-majority Senate to the top administrative position. The Democrats protested his nomination stating that they feared Tillerson's four-decade career at the energy giant meant he'd view the world only through the lens of a corporate executive. They also questioned if Tillerson would be able to confront the US president when he believes Trump is wrong.
Tillerson, however, was deemed highly qualified for the position by the Republicans as they rejected the Democrat's concerns. As Tillerson was voted for the key job, the 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, according to the Associated Press reports.
Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn. said that he was confident about Tillerson's ability to be an effective leader citing the former Exxon Mobil CEO's experience in leading a global enterprise with 75,000 employees, while forging "deep relations" with world leaders. Tillerson reportedly has close ties with the Russian President Vladimir Putin, which has many of his opponents at Capitol Hill worrying that he would not be aggressive enough when Russia acted against US interests.
"I am confident Rex Tillerson has the ability to be the effective leader the State Department needs," Corker said.
During Tillerson's confirmation hearing before the Foreign Relations Committee. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. had strongly opposed the former businessman when he refused to label Putin a "war criminal" and his failure to condemn human rights violations in Saudi Arabia and the Philippines in strong terms. Rubio chided Tillerson over the need for "moral clarity" but he deigned and backed Tillerson's nomination in the end.
