Casablanca — After weeks of speculation, President-elect Donald J. Trump has named ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson Secretary of State.
Other contenders for the job were New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, a loyal supporter of Trump, and 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
The decision proved to be a controversial move amongst Republicans and Democrats alike, as many have expressed reservations vis a vis Tillerson’s business ties to Russia and the Middle East.
Tillerson, who is 64 and has spent a large portion of his career working with Russia, was bestowed the Order of Friendship by President Putin in 2013.
Thomas Wright, a Brookings Institution expert, tells the Guardian that “Trump’s choice of Rex Tillerson suggests he wants to make good on his promise to cut deals with Russia instead of containing it.”
“Tillerson has a relationship with Putin and he opposed the actions imposed on Russia after the annexation of Crimea. This will alarm those worried about Russian intentions in Europe,” Wright continues.
The Exxon executive also has strong ties with Igor Sechin, leader of Russia’s oil-and-gas giant Rosneft.
In an interview with NPR, journalist and quasi Tillerson expert Steve Coll says:
“In Kurdistan, during the Obama Administration, Tillerson defied State Department policy and cut an independent oil deal with the Kurdish Regional Government, undermining the national Iraqi government in Baghdad. ExxonMobil did not ask permission. After the fact, Tillerson arranged a conference call with State Department officials and explained his actions, according to my sources, by saying, ‘I had to do what was best for my shareholders.’”
While many find Tillerson’s nomination to be worrisome, former U.S. Secretary of State & National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice considers this decision to be an excellent one.
“Rex Tillerson is an excellent choice for Secretary of State,” Rice writes. “He will bring to the post remarkable and broad international experience; a deep understanding of the global economy; and a belief in America’s special role in the world.”
CIA director and former defense secretary Bob Gates concurs. “He would bring to the position vast knowledge, experience and success in dealing with dozens of governments and leaders in every corner of the world. He is a person of great integrity whose only goal in office would be to protect and advance the interests of the United States,” he said in a statement prior to Tillerson’s nomination.
It’s important to note that Rice Hadley Gates, the international strategic consulting firm run by Condoleezza Rice and Bob Gates, counts Exxon as one of its clients, making their endorsement for Tillerson a potentially biased one.
