Senate

Top Dem comes out against Tillerson ahead of key vote

by Jordain Carney - 01/23/17 7:15 AM ET

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md) is coming out against President Trump’s choice for secretary of State, hours before a key Senate committee votes on Rex Tillerson’s nomination.

Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Monday that Tillerson’s business ties and response to questions from lawmakers “could compromise” his ability to be the country’s top diplomat.

“Tillerson was unwilling to characterize Russia and Syria’s atrocities as war crimes, or Philippine President Duterte’s extrajudicial killings as gross human rights violations,” Cardin said. “And he was not willing to dismiss with unqualified clarity a registry for any ethnic or religious group of Americans.”

He added that he thinks the former Exxon Mobil CEO “misled” lawmakers about the company’s lobbying on U.S. sanctions. Tillerson told the Foreign Relations Committee that “to [his] knowledge” the company never lobbied against placing financial penalties on Iran or Russia.

{mosads}But Cardin argued Tillerson’s comments are “inconsistent with the company’s well-known, long-held position and activities.”

He added that he is “concerned” about Tillerson potentially urging Trump to lift current sanctions targeting Russia.

“Russia attacked us through cyber warfare and has committed even greater atrocities in Ukraine, Syria, and Eastern Europe,” he said. “They must be held accountable and our bipartisan legislation is an important tool to do so.”

Cardin and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) introduced sanctions against Russia earlier this month because of Moscow’s influence campaign in the U.S. presidential election, as well as ongoing conflicts in Syria and Ukraine.

Cardin is also expected to introduce legislation this week with Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) that would require congressional approval before Trump removed any current Russia sanctions.

Cardin’s opposition to Tillerson comes hours before the Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled to vote on the nomination.

Though some Democratic members of the committee — including Sens. Tim Kaine (Va.) and Jeff Merkley (Ore.) — have already announced their opposition, Cardin’s decision could hold sway over undecided lawmakers.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is considered the swing vote on Tillerson’s nomination, with Republicans holding a one-seat advantage on the committee. He has not announced how he will vote on Trump’s pick.

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the chairman of the committee, has indicated he wants Tillerson to get a full Senate vote even if he doesn’t get a majority support within the committee.

Tillerson will need 50 votes to clear the Senate. His nomination got a boost of momentum over the weekend with McCain and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), two previously skeptical GOP senators, announcing they would support him.

Tags Ben Cardin Bob Corker Chuck Schumer Jeff Merkley John McCain Lindsey Graham Marco Rubio Tim Kaine