GOP Senator: Secretary Of State Nom Should ‘Complement’ Trump’s Approach

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Bob Corker R-Tenn. questions Deputy Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016, during the committee's hearing on Syria... Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Bob Corker R-Tenn. questions Deputy Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016, during the committee's hearing on Syria. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), who would likely oversee the confirmation hearings for Donald Trump’s secretary of state nominee as chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, said on Thursday that the President-elect “approaches things with an exclamation point” and so needs a secretary of state to “complement” his style.

During an interview on MSNBC, Corker said it would not be appropriate for him to “handicap” potential nominees since he’s likely to oversee the confirmation process. Host Andrea Mitchell then asked what qualities Corker is looking for in a secretary of state nominee, noting that Rudy Giuliani, Newt Gingrich, and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley have all been floated as candidates.

Corker said that Trump needs someone to balance him out.

“We have a president who, let’s face it, approaches things with an exclamation point. I mean, when he does it, he does it in a big way,” the senator said. “And I think what might be good is someone to complement that and to be able to pragmatically go about making things happen in the kind of way that furthers our country’s national interest.”

He also said that the nominee to lead the State Department should have foreign policy experience.

Latest Livewire
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: