BURLINGTON, Vt., Jan. 27 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Friday announcing that he will vote against confirming President Donald Trump’s nomination of Rex Tillerson, the former head of Exxon Mobil, to be secretary of state: 

“I will vote no on the nomination of Rex Tillerson to be Secretary of State. The nomination of Mr. Tillerson is one of the worst choices President Trump has made for his cabinet, and he has made many bad choices. The United States needs to lead the global community in transforming our energy system and moving away from fossil fuels. We do not need a Secretary of State whose company, Exxon Mobil, spent millions denying the reality of climate change and worked to oppose regulations limiting carbon emissions. I also am concerned about Mr. Tillerson’s ties to Russia’s authoritarian leader, Vladimir Putin.”