Trump lines up establishment Republicans to endorse his choice for secretary of state

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump is enlisting veteran members of the Republican foreign policy establishment to vouch for Rex W. Tillerson, chief executive of Exxon Mobil, as his choice to be the nation's chief diplomat.

To win Senate confirmation, Tillerson will need to counter bipartisan skepticism about his ties to President Vladimir Putin of Russia over his long career at the giant energy company. Hearings are expected to focus, in particular, on the potential conflict between Exxon's oil and gas deals and U.S. sanctions on Russia.

But Trump's transition team has lined up high-profile endorsements for Tillerson that began to roll out early Tuesday and were intended to address concerns about Russia and Putin, according to people familiar with the plan. The transition team's goal is to press for a swift confirmation after Trump is inaugurated next month.

Robert M. Gates, who served as secretary of defense under President Barack Obama and President George W. Bush, strongly endorsed Tillerson in a statement Tuesday morning, calling him "a global champion of the best values of our country" and saying he would bring "vast knowledge, experience and success in dealing with dozens of governments and leaders in every corner of the world."

Others expected to strongly back Tillerson — and to reject concerns about Russia — are said to include former Vice President Dick Cheney and former secretaries of state James A. Baker III and Condoleezza Rice, among others.

Sen. Bob Corker, who was a finalist to become Trump's secretary of state and will oversee confirmation hearings as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also issued an enthusiastic statement about Tillerson's selection on Tuesday. "Mr. Tillerson is a very impressive individual and has an extraordinary working knowledge of the world," Corker said. "I congratulate him on his nomination and look forward to meeting with him and chairing his confirmation hearing."

In the past several days, Republican and Democratic lawmakers had warned that Tillerson would face intense scrutiny over his relationship with Russia, which awarded him its Order of Friendship in 2013, and with Putin.

Tillerson has been publicly skeptical about the sanctions, which have halted some of Exxon's biggest projects in Russia, including an agreement with the state oil company to explore and pump underground resources in Siberia that could be worth tens of billions of dollars.

In a statement on Tuesday, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., signaled that he may oppose Tillerson's selection to be the face of U.S. foreign policy abroad.

[How Rex Tillerson put Exxon's needs over U.S. interests]

"While Rex Tillerson is a respected businessman, I have serious concerns about his nomination," said Rubio, who lost a bid for the Republican nomination to Trump. "The next secretary of state must be someone who views the world with moral clarity, is free of potential conflicts of interest, has a clear sense of America's interests, and will be a forceful advocate for America's foreign policy goals to the president, within the administration, and on the world stage."

Trump's selection of Tillerson quickly generated opposition from Democrats and liberal activists, who expressed deep concern about the potential impact that his appointment could have on climate change and other issues.

"He and other company executives led Exxon Mobil in funding outside groups to create an illusion of scientific uncertainty around the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change," Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress, said in a statement.

Tanden, who has been a longtime confidante of Hillary Clinton, added, "This decadeslong misinformation campaign directly narrowed the world's window of opportunity to cut emissions and avert the catastrophic effects of climate change."

Amnesty International said in a statement that "Rex Tillerson's nomination is deeply troubling and could undermine human rights in the U.S. and abroad."

The nomination also drew criticism from some social conservatives. In condemning Tillerson, they said he had played a central role in reversing the Boy Scouts' long-standing policy of excluding gay people, an issue that became a cultural flash point for the religious right.

A former national president for the Boy Scouts, Tillerson was involved in opening the Scouts up to gay Scouts and leaders. Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, wrote on his organization's website that Tillerson "caved to the pressure of the far left, irreparably splitting the Scouts and destroying a proud and honorable American tradition."

Perkins also cited Exxon's financial donations to Planned Parenthood, calling them "upsetting at best."

Trump appeared unfazed by the potential roadblocks to Tillerson's confirmation.

In his statement making official his decision to nominate Tillerson, the president-elect lavished praise on the Exxon executive for his business acumen and knowledge of the world.

"His tenacity, broad experience and deep understanding of geopolitics make him an excellent choice for secretary of state," Trump said. "Rex knows how to manage a global enterprise, which is crucial to running a successful State Department, and his relationships with leaders all over the world are second to none."

Tillerson said in the statement that he shared Trump's vision for "restoring the credibility of the United States' foreign relations," and he vowed to "focus on strengthening our alliances, pursuing shared national interests and enhancing the strength, security and sovereignty of the United States."

On Twitter Tuesday morning, Trump emphasized his State Department pick's experience, posting: "The thing I like best about Rex Tillerson is that he has vast experience at dealing successfully with all types of foreign governments."

Reince Priebus, the incoming White House chief of staff, said on MSNBC that Trump's choice of Tillerson came down to "chemistry" and a shared vision between the men about how to conduct diplomacy and confront difficult issues overseas.

Priebus rejected the idea that Tillerson's relationship with Putin should be disqualifying. He said that "ignoring people and acting as if people don't exist isn't going to get things done."

Priebus said that despite Tillerson's criticism of sanctions against Russia, he believes that they are an important part of diplomacy — but only if they are adequately enforced. "He's not against sanctions," Priebus said on the network's "Morning Joe" program.

Jeremy Peters contributed reporting from Washington.