Senator Bob Corker on Tuesday released the following statement regarding President-elect Donald J. Trump’s intention to nominate Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State.
“I very much appreciated President-elect Trump calling me last night to let me know that he would be nominating Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State. Mr. Tillerson is a very impressive individual and has an extraordinary working knowledge of the world. I congratulate him on his nomination and look forward to meeting with him and chairing his confirmation hearing.
“On a personal note, it has been an honor to be considered for Secretary of State. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with the President-elect and his team throughout this process and appreciate the deliberate manner in which he arrived at this decision. I look forward to working with him to move our country forward.”
Senator Lamar Alexander said, "Rex Tillerson has led one of the world's largest corporations with operations in about 50 countries, which requires an understanding of other countries and cultures. I look forward to hearing more from Mr. Tillerson about his plans to strengthen our partnerships with allies and how to deal with the threats from those who would harm our nation."
Senator David Perdue said, “While this may seem like a nontraditional choice, after eight years of foreign policy setbacks, we will need to make some bold changes to help re-establish American leadership and credibility around the world. Rex Tillerson has spent his career overseeing one of our nation's largest companies and growing its presence around the world. As both a business guy and chairman of the subcommittee that oversees State Department management, I look forward to hearing from Mr. Tillerson, examining his goals for the State Department, and learning more about his perspective on the global security crisis we face today.”
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a hearing on Mr. Tillerson’s nomination in early January.