Tillerson's social views unrelated to his role as Secretary of State, says Jerry Falwell Jr.

Jerry Falwell Jr., the president of Liberty University, has expressed his support for ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State even after it was revealed that the businessman was instrumental in opening up the Boy Scouts to homosexual scouts and leaders.

Several conservatives have commended President-elect Donald Trump for picking Tillerson to run the State Department. But Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council, has expressed his objection to Trump's decision.

Perkins pointed out that Tillerson supported the admission of gay youths to the Boy Scouts of America while he served as the organization's president from 2010 to 2012. He also noted that ExxonMobil has donated money to Planned Parenthood through its employee matching gift program.

"The Left, which doesn't usually need a reason to oppose Trump's choices, won't find many here, since the ExxonMobil executive may be the greatest ally liberals have in the Cabinet for their abortion and LGBT agendas," Perkins said in a statement.

In an interview on CNN's "Erin Burnett Outfront" last Thursday, Falwell said that Tillerson's views on social issues were irrelevant to his role as secretary of state.

"Tony's a good friend, but I disagree with him on this issue," said Falwell. "I think that's a role that will focus on diplomacy, on deal-making, which as the leader of a global enterprise—the CEO of ExxonMobil—he's so good at. I don't think the social issues will ever come up in his role as secretary of state."

Falwell also commended Trump on his choices for cabinet members. He said that he spoke with the president-elect about being the secretary of education, but he turned it down because he would have to commit to the job for at least four years. He said that he was only willing to leave Liberty University for only a year or two.

It would require an approval from the Senate before Tillerson could actually become the Secretary of State. A few Republican senators, including Marco Rubio, John McCain, James Lankford, and Lindsey Graham, have already expressed their concerns whether Tillerson's relationship with Russian president Vladimir Putin would present a conflict of interest.