The Washington Times: The Republican-controlled Senate on Wednesday confirmed Rex Tillerson to be secretary of state, a crucial member of President Donald Trump’s national security team.
Tillerson was quickly sworn in during a ceremony in the Oval Office, where Trump showered him with praise.
“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,” the president told him. “I do believe we can achieve peace and stability in these very, very troubled times.”
Senators voted 56-43 to approve the former Exxon Mobil CEO after Democrats mounted a vocal yet unsuccessful campaign to derail the bid. They said they feared his four-decade career at the energy giant meant he’d view the world only through the lens of a corporate executive and questioned whether he would confront Trump when he believes the president is wrong.
But Republicans rejected the complaints and declared Tillerson highly qualified for the job. He’ll have his hands full as soon as he’s sworn in, grappling with many of the same geopolitical dilemmas his predecessors did. As senators cast their ballots, the Trump 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.
Tillerson also will have to deal with any fallout stemming from Trump’s executive order on immigration and travel that halts entry for 90 days to citizens from seven majority-Muslim nations.
