Senate Republican Rubio backs Tillerson for secretary of state

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Senator Marco Rubio on Monday said he will vote to back President Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, despite the former Exxon Mobil Corp CEO's "troubling" responses before lawmakers regarding Russia.

"Despite my reservations, I will support Mr. Tillerson’s nomination in committee and in the full Senate," Rubio said in a statement posted on Facebook ahead of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's vote on Tillerson later on Monday. A vote in the Republican-controlled Senate is expected shortly afterward.

(Reporting by Tim Ahmann and Susan Heavey; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

You May Also Be Interested In

• Wall Street warms to healthcare stocks as tech trade faces turbulence
• Fed's Williams says rate hikes possible if inflation persists
• New York Times misses estimates for digital subscriber additions