Exxon Mobil CEO May Be Trump’s Choice for Secretary of State
Early Saturday, reports began to surface that Donald Trump would nominate the oil company’s Rex Tillerson, who reportedly “has ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.”
Rex W. Tillerson, left, meeting with Vladimir Putin in 2012. (Wikimedia Commons)
Although initial reports made it seem likely that President-elect Donald Trump would choose former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney as his secretary of state, news broke Saturday that Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, 64, has become the front-runner for the position.
Tillerson, of Wichita Falls, Texas, has already notified his corporate board about taking on the new role, sources told NBC News. He is set to retire from ExxonMobil next year since the company has a mandatory retirement age of 65, Reuters reported.
He has never previously worked in government, but reportedly holds conservative political views.
Tillerson has made tens of thousands of dollars worth of political donations over the past two decades to Republican groups and candidates, including to President George W. Bush … according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan research group.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Tillerson backed Jeb Bush during the GOP presidential primary and did not donate to Trump’s campaign.
Little is known about where he stands on foreign policy, and as secretary of state, he would have to hit the ground running on major issues. Among them: handling the nuclear agreement with Iran that the Obama administration made in 2015; the sanctions imposed on Russia; disputes with China and North Korea; the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria; and rebuilding Afghanistan and Iraq.
Read the full report here.
—Posted by Emma Niles
This year, the ground feels uncertain — facts are buried and those in power are working to keep them hidden. Now more than ever, independent journalism must go beneath the surface.
At Truthdig, we don’t just report what's happening — we investigate how and why. We follow the threads others leave behind and uncover the forces shaping our future.
Your tax-deductible donation fuels journalism that asks harder questions and digs where others won’t.
Don’t settle for surface-level coverage.
Unearth what matters. Help dig deeper.
Donate now.
Courts & Law
A sinister Republican bond scheme could price average Americans out of the U.S. justice system.
Editorial Cartoons
Editorial Cartoons
Military
Lawmakers make a bipartisan attempt to rein Trump's authority as the prospect of war threatens to fracture his political coalition.
Middle East
As Iran mounts an effective response to Israel's war of choice, why should the president now risk U.S. lives to join it?
Opinion
The protests highlighted the overwhelming popularity and the dire need for a massive, independent movement against Trumpism.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.