--- title: Rex Tillerson: Marco Rubio Raises 'Serious Concerns' on Pick description: Florida Sen. Marco Rubio raised concerns on Tuesday about Donald Trump's selection of ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State canonical: https://time.com/4598989/marco-rubio-rex-tillerson-secretary-state-donald-trump/ author: Katie Reilly article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-12-13T14:36:44.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T02:16:34.540Z article:section: Politics og:title: Marco Rubio Raises 'Serious Concerns' About Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State og:description: "While Rex Tillerson is a respected businessman, I have serious concerns about his nomination" og:url: https://time.com/4598989/marco-rubio-rex-tillerson-secretary-state-donald-trump/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt49195be2584ee0c1/6988b2c08e0601fa84468921/marco-rubio-rex-tillerson.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Sen. Rubio And Challenger For His Seat Rep. Murphy Debate At Broward College og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Marco Rubio Raises 'Serious Concerns' About Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State twitter:description: "While Rex Tillerson is a respected businessman, I have serious concerns about his nomination" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt49195be2584ee0c1/6988b2c08e0601fa84468921/marco-rubio-rex-tillerson.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Marco Rubio Raises 'Serious Concerns' About Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Dec 13, 2016 2:36 PM UTC  Republican Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) speaks as he debates his challenger Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-FL) during the U.S. Senate debate at Broward College on Oct. 26, 2016 in Davie, Florida. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) speaks as he debates his challenger Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-FL) during the U.S. Senate debate at Broward College on Oct. 26, 2016 in Davie, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Dec 13, 2016 2:36 PM UTC Florida Sen. Marco Rubio raised concerns on Tuesday about President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of [ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson](http://time.com/4598891/donald-trump-rex-tillerson-state-department/) for Secretary of State. Trump announced his choice on Tuesday, describing Tillerson as one of “the most accomplished business leaders and international dealmakers in the world.” “While Rex Tillerson is a respected businessman, I have serious concerns about his nomination,” Rubio said in a statement. Other Republicans have praised Tillerson, but his close ties to Russia could make for a contentious Senate confirmation hearing, especially amid [increasing allegations](http://time.com/4597792/mitch-mcconnell-strongly-condemns-russian-interference-in-2016-election/) of [Russian interference](http://time.com/magazine/us/4512760/october-10th-2016-vol-188-no-14-u-s/) in the presidential election. “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,” Rubio said. “I look forward to learning more about his record and his views.‎ I will do my part to ensure he receives a full and fair but also thorough hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.” At least one Senator, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said he approved of Trump’s decision. Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, a Republican who was considered for the Secretary of State position, praised Trump’s choice. “Mr. Tillerson is a very impressive individual and has an extraordinary working knowledge of the world,” Corker said in a statement. “I congratulate him on his nomination and look forward to meeting with him and chairing his confirmation hearing.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4598989/marco-rubio-rex-tillerson-secretary-state-donald-trump/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4598989/marco-rubio-rex-tillerson-secretary-state-donald-trump/"},"headline":"Marco Rubio Raises 'Serious Concerns' About Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State","datePublished":"2016-12-13T14:36:44.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T02:16:34.540Z","description":"\"While Rex Tillerson is a respected businessman, I have serious concerns about his nomination\"","url":"https://time.com/4598989/marco-rubio-rex-tillerson-secretary-state-donald-trump/","keywords":["Donald Trump","White House","Sen. 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