XOM Exxon Mobil Corp

By Byron Tau 

WASHINGTON -- Despite lingering concerns from some Republicans, secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson cleared a key procedural hurdle on Monday, all but ensuring he will be approved as the nation's top diplomat.

Mr. Tillerson, the former chief executive of Exxon Mobil Corp., won a favorable recommendation in an 11-to-10 vote along party lines from the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on Monday afternoon. His nomination will be considered by the full Senate in the coming days, where he is expected to be confirmed.

Overcoming a rocky confirmation hearing earlier this month where he was grilled by members of both parties, Mr. Tillerson won the support of three leading foreign-policy voices within his party who had wavered for weeks on whether to support him over their concerns about his ties to the Russian government.

As head of Exxon Mobil, Mr. Tillerson had cultivated deep business ties to senior figures in the Russia government -- prompting tough questions from both Democrats and Republicans during his confirmation hearing. His former company's lobbying on sanctions issues also came under scrutiny.

But congressional resistance to Mr. Tillerson essentially evaporated over the weekend, as other Senate Republicans who had been undecided said they would support him -- all but ensuring he will win enough votes in the Senate. Republicans Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and John McCain of Arizona both said on Sunday they would support Mr. Tillerson.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida also said he would support Mr. Tillerson. No vote was more important to Mr. Tillerson's successful confirmation than that of Mr. Rubio, who occupies a key seat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that will vote Monday on the nomination.

Republicans have a one-vote advantage on the panel, meaning that Mr. Rubio's support was seen as crucial to moving Mr. Tillerson's nomination to the floor with a recommendation that he be confirmed for the job. The full U.S. Senate still could have confirmed Mr. Tillerson without approval of a majority of the panel, but such a procedure is extremely rare.

"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," Mr. Rubio, a Florida Republican, said in a statement posted to Facebook on Monday.

During the hearing, Mr. Rubio also expressed concern about whether Mr. Tillerson and the new Trump administration would take an aggressive enough line against Russia. President Donald Trump has indicated that he believes the U.S. should pursue improved relations with Moscow.

No Democrats supported Mr. Tillerson in the committee vote, but he could win some Democratic support when the full Senate considers his nomination. Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, the senior Democrat on the panel, said in a statement Monday that he would oppose Mr. Tillerson over some of the former CEO's comments during his confirmation hearings.

"After long and careful consideration, I believe Mr. Tillerson's demonstrated business orientation and his responses to questions during the confirmation hearing could compromise his ability as Secretary of State to forcefully promote the values and ideals that have defined our country and our leading role in the world for more than 200 years," Mr. Cardin said.

Write to Byron Tau at byron.tau@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 23, 2017 17:56 ET (22:56 GMT)

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