Democrats do not believe they stand much chance of stopping Tillerson from being confirmed. But they plan to press the top diplomat-designate to commit to full divestiture from Exxon and detail how he would pursue a different approach to the world as secretary of state, in what one Senate Democratic aide who requested anonymity to candidly discuss strategy called a “very thorough, tough vetting.” As they have with Trump, Democrats plan to focus sharply on potential conflicts of interests deriving from Tillerson’s finances, as well as his unorthodox views on critical foreign policy matters.
It’s a grilling they would happily serve Trump, if only they had reason to drag him before a congressional committee.
Already, the minority party is railing against Republicans for refusing to demand Tillerson produce his tax returns. Their frustration stems from Tillerson’s response to a routine question about tax returns on the Foreign Relations Committee’s pre-confirmation hearing questionnaire. According to a Senate Democratic aide and a Trump transition team spokesman, Tillerson said he stood ready to provide only “tax return information” for his wife and himself for the previous three years. That means it’s possible Tillerson isn’t willing to provide complete returns.
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