Senator Jeanne Shaheen says she is still undecided over a confirmation vote for Rex Tillerson, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State.
Shaheen, a second-term Democrat, met earlier this week with the former ExxonMobil CEO, calling her conversation with Tillerson broad. Speaking in Rochester Friday, the Democrat again raised concerns about Tillerson’s business dealings with Russia.
“I want to hear in the [confirmation] hearing reassurance about his understanding of the threat that Russia faces to Eastern Europe, to our democracy, as they’ve tried to undermine our elections. So, I think these are ongoing questions, and we’ll hear more,” she said.
Shaheen followed those remarks with a statement later in the day on an intelligence report concluding that Russian President Vladmir Putin “ordered an influence campaign” to sway the 2016 presidential election. President-elect Trump has been skeptical of any Russian-ordered hacking.
“It’s now time for President-elect Trump to face the facts and prepare to work with Congress on an aggressive response,” wrote Shaheen. “Russia launched a brazen attack on the foundation of our democracy and it cannot go unanswered.”