Evangelical leader blasts Tillerson on abortion, gay rights
Evangelical leader Tony Perkins has slammed President-elect Donald Trump decision to nominate Rex Tillerson, the CEO of Exxon Mobil, as his secretary of State.
Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, argued that Tillerson will be a boon for liberals and that his selection should be “alarming to conservatives.”
“The ExxonMobil executive may be the greatest ally liberals have in the Cabinet for their abortion and LGBT agendas,” Perkins wrote Monday on the FRC website. “That should be particularly alarming to conservatives, who’ve spent the last eight years watching the State Department lead the global parade for the slaughter of innocent unborn children and the intimidation of nations with natural views on marriage and sexuality.”
{mosads}Perkins, who criticized the potential selection of Mitt Romney for secretary of State in the past, also slammed Tillerson on his company’s history of donating to Planned Parenthood and his role pushing to allow gay troop leaders in the Boy Scouts of America.
“To hear that Donald Trump may be appointing a man who not only led the charge to open the Boy Scouts to gay troop leaders but whose company directly gives to Planned Parenthood is upsetting at best,” he wrote.
Perkins supported Trump during the presidential campaign, even standing by the candidate after the release of his “Access Hollywood” tape. But previous support for Trump didn’t stop Perkins from criticizing Tillerson on gay rights and abortion.
“Trump calls Rex a ‘world class player and dealmaker,’ but if these are the kinds of deals Tillerson makes—sending dollars to an abortion business that’s just been referred for criminal prosecution and risking the well-being of young boys under his charge in an attempt to placate radical homosexual activists—then who knows what sort of ‘diplomacy’ he would champion at DOS?” Perkins added.
Perkins also criticized Tillerson’s connections to the Russian leader Vladimir Putin, stating that it will be one of the major obstacles in the way of his confirmation in the Senate. Exxon has significant business ties with Russia, and Tillerson has received the “Order of Friendship” commendation from Putin’s government.
“Russia is just one hurdle Tillerson will face in his confirmation hearings with Senate Republicans,” Perkins wrote.
Tillerson currently faces a potentially close confirmation vote, with several Republicans criticizing him for his Russian ties. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Monday that he has “serious concerns” about the pick.
The GOP has a 52-48 majority in the chamber, which means that Tillerson can not lose more than two Republican votes, assuming all Democrats vote to reject the nominee.
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