Rubio's Tough Question: Putin's Actions Under the Spotlight

Marco Rubio, a senator from Florida, once had a straightforward question for the future secretary of state, Rex Tillerson. This was at a Senate hearing right after the election of President Trump. The question was, "Is Vladimir Putin a war criminal? " This was a tough question to answer. Trump was known to be a big fan of Putin, even though many people in the West saw Putin as a problem. Trump wanted to make friends with Russia again, even though many people, including Rubio, thought this was a bad idea. Tillerson dodged the question. He said he needed more time to look at the facts. Rubio wasn't happy with this answer. He listed some of the bad things Russia's military had done and the suspicious deaths of Putin's critics. Tillerson still didn't give a clear answer. Rubio was clearly upset. He said he was disappointed that Tillerson couldn't say what many people around the world already knew. This was a tense moment, showing the tough questions senators have to ask and the tricky answers they sometimes get.