More rhyming headlines…sorry. Anyhow, looks like Rex Tillerson, President of Exxon Mobil Corporation has been selected to be our next Secretary of State. Here is his Wikipedia bio: Rex Tillerson
Not much in the bio….he has been with Exxon for 41 years. It appears that this will be his first job since college that is not with Exxon. The most telling things are:
- Close ties to Russia and Putin.
- Doesn’t like sanctions (not surprising)
- Likes free trade (and the TPP)
- Suspicious of global warning (not surprising…considering his company)
- According to Wikipedia was recommended to Trump by Condoleezza Rice.
Anyhow, nothing really surprising or earthshaking here considering his business. The ties to Russia pose a problem and the hearings should be interesting. This is worth noting: John McCain: Rex Tillerson and Putin
To quote a couple of lines from McCain:
“But Vladimir Putin is a thug, a bully and a murderer, and anybody else who describes him an anything else is lying.”
and
“What about all the other things–right now, the targeting of hospitals by Russian aircraft with precision weapons in Syria, in Aleppo? Those are the kind of questions that we need to ask [Tillerson] about the relationship with Vladimir Putin.”
Senators McCain and Graham have been supportive of Ukraine and hostile to Russia. The Democrats have 48 seats in the Senate. If McCain and Graham were willing to break with the party and break with Trump, and could bring one more Republican senator with them, then they could actually reject Trump’s Secretary of State appointment. I don’t recall that ever happening for a Secretary of State appointment so suspect it is not very likely.