Exxon CEO Now a Contender for Donald Trump’s Secretary of State
President-elect widens circle of candidates for top diplomatic job and will interview more prospects
Though Mr. Trump’s transition team said last week that the search had narrowed to four finalists, new candidates have emerged, including Rex Tillerson, chairman and chief executive of Exxon Mobil Corp., one transition adviser said.
.. He’s very fortunate to have interest among serious men and women who, all of whom need to understand that their first responsibility as secretary of state would be to implement and adhere to the president-elect’s America First foreign policy, if you will, his view of the world.”
.. So far he has chosen to largely freestyle his engagement with foreign leaders, rather than rely on the State Department’s guidance for such conversations.
.. Choosing a secretary of state with scant foreign policy background, such as Exxon’s Mr. Tillerson, could further unnerve government officials serving in an institution that functions on strict protocols.
.. As Exxon’s chief executive, he has spoken against sanctions on Russia, where the company in 2012 signed a $3.2 billion deal that Mr. Putin said could eventually reach $500 billion in investments.
.. Mr. Tillerson has some of the closest CEO ties to Mr. Putin and Russia, with his work there dating back to when Mr. Putin rose to power after Boris Yeltsin’s resignation. The 2012 deal gave Exxon access to prized arctic resources. Later that year, the Kremlin bestowed the country’s Order of Friendship on the American businessman.