{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://scalise.house.gov/press-release/scalise-tillerson-fits-bill", "Scalise: 'Tillerson fits the bill'", "2016-12-13", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "LA", "Steve Scalise", "S001176", "scalise.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "In light of President-elect Trump\u2019s announcement today that he intends to nominate Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, here are Majority Whip Scalise\u2019s remarks on Tillerson during two national TV interviews yesterday afternoon.\np.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Arial}  \nspan.s1 {font-kerning: none}\n\nTo CNN\u2019s Wolf Blitzer:\n\u00a0\nClick Here To Watch Clip\n\u00a0\nSCALISE: \u201cWell if you look at Rex Tillerson, I\u2019ve met him a few times, he\u2019s testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee that I sit on, he presents himself incredibly well. But one of the things that he\u2019s known for, and frankly respected for all around the world, is his ability to negotiate international agreements. That\u2019s a good thing. That\u2019s something you\u2019d want in a Secretary of State. Some people say the only person who might have more experience in dealing with countries like Russia is Henry Kissinger. I don\u2019t think anybody knocks Henry Kissinger\u2019s credentials. So, if you look at Rex Tillerson\u2019s background, he\u2019s the head of one of the largest companies in the world, an American-based company. Exxon employs tens of thousands of Americans. This is the kind of person that\u2019s got very respected credentials all around the world, he can negotiate tough deals with foreign countries, and I think that would be an asset for the Trump administration.\u201d\u00a0\n\u00a0\nTo Fox News\u2019 Neil Cavuto:\n\u00a0\nClick Here To Watch Clip\n\u00a0\np.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Arial}  \nspan.s1 {font-kerning: none}\n\nSCALISE: \u201cLook at Rex Tillerson. First of all, he\u2019s incredibly respected as a person who has negotiated complex international agreements. That\u2019s the kind of experience you would want in a Secretary of State. Many people have said that if you compare Rex Tillerson, maybe the only person who has more experience dealing with Russia is Henry Kissinger. I don\u2019t think anybody is knocking Henry Kissinger because he knows how to deal with Russia. You want somebody to be tough, who has a proven track record, and Rex Tillerson fits that bill.\u201d\u00a0\np.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Arial}  \nspan.s1 {font-kerning: none}\np.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Arial}  \nspan.s1 {font-kerning: none}", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://scalise.house.gov/press-release/scalise-tillerson-fits-bill"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.383420079946518, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}