Ledyard King

USA TODAY

Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio reluctantly threw his support behind Rex Tillerson's nomination for secretary of state on Monday, clearing the way for the former ExxonMobil CEO to become America's top diplomat.

Rubio's vote for Tillerson turned out to be the deciding ballot on the Foreign Relations Committee, which voted 11-10 along party lines to send President Donald Trump's choice for secretary of state to the full Senate with a favorable recommendation.

Rubio had expressed deep misgivings about Tillerson's ties to Russia and President Vladimir Putin, with whom he had cultivated and long and friendly relationship through his business dealings. He was concerned the former oilman "would pursue a foreign policy of deal-making at the expense of traditional alliances and at the expense of the defense of human rights and of democracy."

But Rubio said he voted for Tillerson out of deference to the new president and because filling the post is vital to advance America's interests around the world.

"Given the extraordinary amount of uncertainty and anxiety that exists both here at home and abroad about the direction of our nation's foreign policy, I concluded that it would not be good for our country to unnecessarily delay or create unwarranted political controversy over this particular nomination," he said after the vote.

He also praised Tillerson as someone with a "proven record of managing a large and complex organization and he has extensive experience in international commerce." And he applauded the nominee for his support of NATO, his recognition that Russia's seizure of Crimea was illegitimate, and his tough stance on Cuba.

Rubio had spelled out his thinking on Tillerson earlier Monday in a lengthy Facebook post.

During a sometimes tense confirmation hearing earlier this month, Rubio called Tillerson’s answers “troubling” and “discouraging” when he refused to commit to tougher steps against Russia in the wake of the country’s well-documented interference in the recent presidential election.

He had also seemed frustrated when Tillerson would not agree with the senator that Putin was a "war criminal" for Russia's actions in Syria.

Rubio's decision to endorse Tillerson was probably made easier by the decision Sunday of two other Tillerson skeptics — Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina — to come out in favor of Tillerson. In a joint statement, both said Tillerson "can be an effective advocate for U.S. interests."

Even if the Florida Republican had voted against Tillerson, Republican leaders could have brought the nomination to the full Senate for a confirmation vote.

Democrats blasted Rubio for what they see as caving to Trump.

“By ignoring his serious reservations about Tillerson’s connections to Vladimir Putin, Marco Rubio is not only rolling over for Donald Trump, he’s earning the nickname Trump gave him: Little Marco," said Zac Petkanas, a senior adviser to the Democratic National Committee.

Rubio had been pressed by a number of influential Republicans in recent weeks to back Tillerson, including former vice president Dick Cheney.

It would have been difficult for him to vote against Tillerson.

It would have meant immediately being tagged as the chief antagonist against his own party’s president.

It would also have meant running afoul of Senate GOP leaders who just awarded him a coveted seat on the Appropriations Committee.

Only a handful of Cabinet nominees have been rejected, the most recent being former Texas senator John Tower in 1989, whom President George H.W. Bush had named to run the Pentagon.

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