Greenpeace Mocks Rubio's Support For Rex Tillerson With Human Spine

The environmental advocacy group Greenpeace found a creative way to shame Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) for clearing the way for the confirmation of Exxon Mobil’s former CEO Rex Tillerson as secretary of state.

On Monday, the organization brought a model spine skeleton to Capitol Hill to give Rubio “the spine he must have left at home.”

Earlier on Monday, Rubio had voted to approve Tillerson’s nomination in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, allowing Tillerson to proceed to a vote in the full Senate and virtually guaranteeing his confirmation.

The vote was something of an about-face for Rubio, who expressed strong doubts about Tillerson’s refusal during his confirmation hearing to brand Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” and adopt other hardline stances toward Russia.

Reporters who were talking to Rubio as activists wheeled in the skeleton expressed bewilderment at the stunt.

Under Tillerson’s leadership, Exxon Mobil continued funding climate change deniers long after Tillerson promised the company would no longer do so. At his confirmation hearing, Tillerson refused to say how long Exxon Mobil knew about climate change.