Trump Expected To Tap Marco Rubio For Top Diplomat

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly set to pick Sen. Marco Rubio as his Secretary of State, a move that will make the Floridan senator the first Latino to serve as the nation’s top diplomat, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

The 53-year-old Rubio has long warned of the threat posed to the U.S. by its foreign adversaries, including Iran, China and others. He is also known for his longtime campaign calling attention to political prisoners worldwide, including in Azerbaijan.

In 2017, Rubio sent a letter to President Ilham Aliyev, regarding the political targeting of journalists in the country. "The government of Azerbaijan should immediately release prominent journalist Mehman Aliyev," he tweeted in August of that year in defense of then-jailed TURAN director.

Most recently, Rubio has been a vocal critic of the arrest of Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu in Azerbaijan, tweeting last year that the prominent economist had been charged on baseless criminal charges and detained without access to medical care. "Mr. Ibadoghlu’s only crime has been to speak the truth. He should be immediately released," he noted last August.

In another followup tweet this May, Rubio noted: "As Azerbaijani opposition leader Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu faces trial on May 20th, we are reminded of the senseless persecution individuals worldwide face as they courageously advocate for liberty and prosperity."

Rubio, a leading member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is also seen as a potential pick able to thread the needle of appealing enough to Trump’s political base, while not needlessly eroding relationships with foreign allies. If he becomes secretary of state, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would get to choose a replacement for his Senate seat.