Sen. Marco Rubio Will Support Rex Tillerson For Secretary Of State

Sen. Marco Rubio was a pretty vocal critic of Trump’s secretary of state nominee, Rex Tillerson. He grilled him during the confirmation hearing.

Flashback:

Pretty stunning exchange here—

Rubio: “Is Vladimir Putin a war criminal?”

Tillerson: “I would not use that term.” pic.twitter.com/9uyzktZRgg

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 11, 2017

No one knew if Rubio would support Tillerson in the end, but it appears he’s had a change of heart. Despite his reservations, he will support Tillerson. He doesn’t want to delay the process.

“But in making my decision on his nomination, I must balance these concerns with his extensive experience and success in international commerce, and my belief that the president is entitled to significant deference when it comes to his choices for the cabinet,” Rubio said in a statement posted to his Facebook page. “Given the uncertainty that exists both at home and abroad about the direction of our foreign policy, it would be against our national interests to have this confirmation unnecessarily delayed or embroiled in controversy. Therefore, despite my reservations, I will support Mr. Tillerson’s nomination in committee and in the full Senate.”

Here’s his full statement:

I definitely understand some of Rubio’s concerns, but some of the questions he asked during the hearing put Tillerson in a tough spot. Don’t get me wrong– I’m all for a good grilling, but without having access to classified intelligence information, I’d be hesitant to take certain hardline positions at the hearing too.