Senate confirms Rex Tillerson as secretary of state

The Senate voted 56-43 today to confirm Rex Tillerson as secretary of state. Most Democratic senators opposed the nomination, but Republicans had help from Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.; Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D.; Mark Warner, D. Va.; and Angus King, I-Maine, who crossed party lines in the vote. Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Marco Rubio of Florida all initially expressed concerns about Tillerson’s ties to Russia. But all three, along with every other GOP senator, voted for his confirmation in the end. Tillerson is the former CEO of Exxon Mobil.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.