Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Friday he will oppose confirming Rex Tillerson as secretary of State.
Schumer criticized Tillerson, a former Exxon Mobil CEO, for his positions on climate change and his refusal to rule out the Muslim registry that President Donald discussed during his presidential campaign.
The Democratic leader also ripped Trump’s handling of foreign policy during his first week as president.
“Just one week into his administration, President Trump is turning our foreign policy into shambles,” Schumer said in a statement, first reported by NBC News.
“His nominee for secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, a man who will not lift a finger to fight climate change and will not rule out a Muslim registry, would make it even worse,” Schumer said.
{mosads}“When I met with Mr. Tillerson, I came away more concerned about his and the president’s plans and unimpressed with his grasp on foreign policy. I will oppose his nomination, and I encourage the full Senate to do the same.”
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Tillerson’s nomination Monday in an 11-10 vote, with none of the panel’s Democrats backing him.
Republicans have a 52-seat majority in the full Senate, however, meaning they need a simple majority to confirm Tillerson.
Schumer cited Tillerson’s work at Exxon as a factor in opposing his confirmation.
“During [Tillerson’s] hearing, he presented more ‘alternative facts’ to try to deny that Exxon Mobil had lobbied against sanctions being placed on our most serious adversaries,” he said, citing Russia as an example.
“He refused to come clean on Exxon’s role with subsidiary companies designed to evade U.S. sanctions regimes, and has refused to recuse himself from any issue that could affect Exxon’s bottom line during his tenure as secretary of State. These are not the values that should define American foreign policy.”