(CNN) Mike Pompeo, President Donald Trump's nominee to be secretary of state, advanced out of committee Monday with a favorable recommendation, following a last minute reversal from Sen. Rand Paul that averted a historic rebuke of the President's pick to be the country's top diplomat. The Senate committee voted 11 to 9 with Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware voting present and Sen. Isakson voting by proxy. Under Senate rules, a member who is not present cannot cast the determinative vote. But, in order to speed things up, Coons -- having already publicly voted against Pompeo's nomination -- voted present to move the nomination out of committee before 11 p.m. Paul's previous opposition put Pompeo on track for a historic distinction: the first secretary of state nominee not to win a favorable recommendation from the committee, according to the Senate Historical Office

Source: CNN April 23, 2018 16:55 UTC