This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen
on .
It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
Rex Tillerson named as Donald Trump's secretary of state
Rex Tillerson named as Donald Trump's secretary of state
(about 4 hours later)
Rex Tillerson, the president and chief executive of ExxonMobil, has been officially named as Donald Trump’s choice for secretary of state, setting up a potential confirmation fight in the Senate.
Donald Trump’s decision to name the head of the biggest oil company in the world as America’s top diplomat on Tuesday triggered widespread alarm among environmentalists and critics of Russian influence.
Senators from both parties have raised concerns about his lack of experience and close ties to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
The president-elect named Rex Tillerson, the president and chief executive of ExxonMobil, as his secretary of state after an intensive and very public search.
Trump hailed Tillerson as “among the most accomplished business leaders and international deal makers in the world” in a statement released on Tuesday morning by his transition team.
The pick appeared to divide Republicans and dismay Democrats, setting up an early battle of wills between Trump and Congress. Senators from both parties have raised concerns about Tillerson’s lack of government experience and close ties to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
“His tenacity, broad experience and deep understanding of geopolitics make him an excellent choice for secretary of state,” Trump said. “He will promote regional stability and focus on the core national security interests of the United States.”
Trump hailed Tillerson as “among the most accomplished business leaders and international deal makers in the world” in a statement released on Tuesday by his transition team. “His tenacity, broad experience and deep understanding of geopolitics make him an excellent choice for secretary of state. He will promote regional stability and focus on the core national security interests of the United States.”
On Twitter he called Tillerson “one of the truly great business leaders of the world” and added: “The thing I like best about Rex Tillerson is that he has vast experience at dealing successfully with all types of foreign governments.”
The announcement of the oil executive for the role came after a selection process, played out in front of TV cameras, that considered figures including the former presidential candidate Mitt Romney and the former CIA director David Petraeus.
The announcement of the oil executive for the role of top diplomat comes after a selection process that considered figures including the former presidential candidate Mitt Romney and the former CIA chief David Petraeus.
But Tillerson’s confirmation hearings are likely to be a bitter and emotional struggle. He is a recipient of Moscow’s Order of Friendship, having grown close to Putin and his circle while working on oil exploration in Russia, which was frozen when the US imposed sanctions in 2014. He may also face questions over the potential benefits to ExxonMobil from US foreign policy if sanctions imposed on Russia after its annexation of Crimea were lifted.
Tillerson’s confirmation hearings are likely to be a bitter and emotional struggle. He is a recipient of Moscow’s Order of Friendship, having grown close to Putin and his circle while working on oil exploration in Russia, which was frozen when the US imposed sanctions in 2014.
Republican hawks have made clear the ExxonMobil boss would have to convince them he would be tough on Russia and supportive of Nato to get through confirmation in the Senate, where the defection of only three Republicans would be needed to block the appointment and hand Trump an early setback. Already, three Republican senators have expressed misgivings: John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Marco Rubio.
He may also face questions from senators over the potential benefits to ExxonMobil from US foreign policy if sanctions imposed on Russia after its annexation of Crimea were lifted.
Rubio, a senator for Florida who ran against Trump in the presidential primaries, said: “While Rex Tillerson is a respected businessman, I have serious concerns about his nomination. The next secretary of state must be someone who views the world with moral clarity, is free of potential conflicts of interest, has a clear sense of America’s interests, and will be a forceful advocate for America’s foreign policy goals to the president, within the administration, and on the world stage.”
Lindsey Graham, a senator for South Carolina who also ran against Trump, added: “Based upon his extensive business dealings with the Putin government and his previous opposition of efforts to impose sanctions on the Russian government, there are many questions which must be answered. I expect the US-Russian relationship to be front and centre in his confirmation process.”
But in an early sign of faultlines within the party, Trump loyalists rallied around the selection. Speaking at the conservative Heritage Foundation thinktank in Washington, Newt Gingrich, a former speaker of the House, goaded critics: “I’m going to confess up front here, Tillerson has a huge problem. He’s successful. Being successful in the largest corporation in the world, he’s actually been involved in making money.”
As the audience burst into laughter, Gingrich continued: “Now, if you’re John Kerry or Hillary Clinton or the entire state department, and your entire career’s been one of going round the world unsuccessfully negotiating non-agreements, Tillerson is horrifying. I mean, what if he actually effectively represents America? What if we actually get good deals that make big jobs in America? What if he’s actually able to explain Trumpism to the world?”
Gingrich, delivering an address entitled The Principles of Trumpism, added: “He’s going to be so well received around the planet that, combined with [defence secretary] Jim Mattis, he automatically changes who people think Trump is. They now around the world think Trump is smart enough to hire really smart people and he’s going to give them really smart orders.”
There was also support from Condoleezza Rice, a former secretary of state who refused to endorse Trump for president. She said: “I know Rex as a successful business man and a patriot. He will represent the interests and the values of the United States with resolve and commitment. And he will lead the exceptional men and women of the State Department with respect and dedication.”
Senior Democrats, however, promised Tillerson a rough ride in the confirmation process. The party’s incoming Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, said the businessman would be “asked the most serious questions about his relationship with Russia, his disturbing opposition to sanctions on Russia, the Paris climate agreement, and how he views Putin”.
The House minority leader, Nancy Pelosi, told MSNBC: “The cosiness with Vladimir Putin is very alarming and should have eliminated him, frankly. Right now, his approach to the sanctions on Russia, because of their aggression in Europe, should be enough to say, perhaps another relationship with the administration, but not secretary of state.”
The nomination came shortly after a CIA assessment that Russia sought to meddle in the election on Trump’s behalf. Adam Schiff, the ranking member of the House permanent select committee on intelligence, said: “There was celebrating in the Duma on the night Donald Trump was elected president; with this choice, the celebration in Moscow goes on.”
The White House noted that Tillerson’s Order of Friendship award chimed with Trump’s repeated calls for warmer relations with Russia. Press secretary Josh Earnest said he expected congressman from both sides would ask probing questions. “Mr Tillerson is a seasoned business executive and he’s got some skills in answering tough questions in public and I suspect he’ll have to put them to use in the spring.”
Tillerson, who has spent the past 41 years at Exxon, was due to retire next year. According to regulatory filings he retains a huge financial interest in the oil company, owning $151m in company stock. In 2015 Tillerson’s total compensation including salary, bonus and new share awards, was worth $27.3m.
Tillerson, who has spent the past 41 years at Exxon, was due to retire next year. According to regulatory filings he retains a huge financial interest in the oil company, owning $151m in company stock. In 2015 Tillerson’s total compensation including salary, bonus and new share awards, was worth $27.3m.
Exxon stands to gain or lose fortunes depending on the next secretary of state’s actions. In a 2015 regulatory filing the company said US sanctions against Russia over its dispute with Ukraine had cost the company $1bn. Tillerson is on record as opposing those sanctions.
ExxonMobil has operations in more than 50 countries and has partnered with Qatar’s state oil company, Qatar Petroleum, on a project to build a natural gas terminal on the Gulf of Mexico. The company is also under investigation for misleading investors about what it knew about climate change.
Marco Rubio, the Republican senator for Florida who ran against Trump in the GOP primaries, said: “While Rex Tillerson is a respected businessman, I have serious concerns about his nomination. The next secretary of state must be someone who views the world with moral clarity, is free of potential conflicts of interest, has a clear sense of America’s interests, and will be a forceful advocate for America’s foreign policy goals to the president, within the administration, and on the world stage.”
Greenpeace UK’s executive director, John Sauven, said: “So a real-life JR Ewing becomes America’s chief diplomat as Donald Trump does away with the usual intermediaries and directly outsources foreign policy to the fossil fuel industry. We spent years warning that Exxon was too close to the US government. Now they are the government.”
Rubio promised “a full and fair but also thorough” hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
It was also reported on Tuesday that Trump would pick former Texas governor Rick Perry as his energy secretary. The irony was not lost on political observers who recalled a 2011 Republican primary debate in which Perry said: “It’s three agencies of government, when I get there, that are gone – commerce, education and the, um, what’s the third one there? Let’s see.” He later clarified that he meant to say energy.
Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator for South Carolina who also ran against Trump, added: “Based upon his extensive business dealings with the Putin government and his previous opposition of efforts to impose sanctions on the Russian government, there are many questions which must be answered. I expect the US-Russian relationship to be front and center in his confirmation process.”
Additional reporting by Dominic Rushe and Alan Yuhas
Democratic Connecticut senator Chris Murphy said: “No Republican who has called for a tougher line against Russia should ever be taken seriously again if they vote to put a Putin ally at the top of the State Department.”
He added: “He has proven, many times, his willingness to put oil profits before national interests, and handing him the keys of US foreign policy is a recipe for disaster.”
Tillerson’s nomination could become an early and defining battle of wills between Trump and the Senate. Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond, said: “If Democrats hold firm, they only need three GOP senators’ votes to block confirmation. Today that appears possible but unclear. Even strong critics like John McCain and Graham have cautiously observed that they are withholding judgment now and want to hear how Tillerson responds to questions from the Senate.”
Democrats have begun to dig in. Adam Schiff, the ranking member of the House permanent select committee on intelligence, demanded: “How will this friend of Putin and recipient of one of the Kremlin’s highest honors fight to maintain sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine?
“How will he take actions that may damage the interests of the oil company he has served for most of his life? How will someone whose primary focus has been the expansion of oil production champion efforts to address climate change?”
Schiff added: “There are a great many well qualified, experienced and conservative candidates for this vital post, and it is deeply disappointing that President-elect Trump would instead choose a nominee whose background raises so many troubling concerns.
“There was celebrating in the Duma on the night Donald Trump was elected president; with this choice, the celebration in Moscow goes on.”
Moscow praised Tillerson on Monday. “On account of his work as the head of one of the largest oil companies, he had contacts with our representatives more than once,” Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told journalists. “He fulfils his responsibilities in a highly professional manner.”
Romney confirmed on Monday he would not be part of the Trump administration. The former Massachusetts governor, who was always an odd choice for Trump’s cabinet given the pair’s scathing attacks on one another during the campaign, called it an “honor to have been considered for secretary of state”.
The news comes days after reports that US intelligence officials had concluded that the Kremlin tried to intervene in the 2016 election to help Trump defeat Hillary Clinton, according to officials quoted anonymously in the Washington Post and New York Times.
On Friday, Barack Obama ordered the agencies to review all evidence about Russian interference in the election, including hacks on political organizations including the Democratic National Committee.
And on Monday the Republican Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, opened the door to congressional investigation of Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 election but left the scope of such an inquiry vague and unlikely to satisfy those who want a thorough exploration of an intelligence finding that has shaken Washington.
Trump has repeatedly praised Putin, and said he would like to restore US-Russia relations and work with Russian counterparts against international terrorism.
Potential conflicts of interest would probably arise at Tillerson’s confirmation hearings with the Senate. So would the subject of climate change.
Exxon Mobil has operations in more than 50 countries and has partnered with Qatar’s state oil company, Qatar Petroleum, on a project to build a natural gas terminal on the Gulf of Mexico.
Tillerson has acknowledged the threat of climate change and Exxon Mobil has endorsed a carbon tax and stated its support for the Paris climate agreement.
The company is also under investigation for misleading investors about what it knew about climate change.
David Axelrod, who was chief strategist for Barack Obama’s election campaigns, tweeted: “Big Oil must be gushing over @realDonaldTrump cabinet picks. First, an industry apparatchik as EPA chief. Now Tillerson & Perry” - a reference to Rick Perry, tipped for the job of energy secretary.
Greenpeace UK’s executive director John Sauven said: “So a real-life JR Ewing becomes America’s chief diplomat as Donald Trump does away with the usual intermediaries and directly outsources foreign policy to the fossil fuel industry. We spent years warning that Exxon was too close to the US government. Now they are the government.”
He added: “Rex Tillerson, while unlikely to wear his Russian friendship medal during his Senate confirmation hearings, will almost certainly use his new job to lobby for the reopening of Exxon’s Russian Arctic oil exploration. And with oil in his blood he’s unlikely to use his new office to promote solutions to climate change.”
Trump has appointed Scott Pruitt, a climate change denier, to head the Environmental Protection Agency.
Some senior Republicans rallied around Tillerson, setting the stage for conflict within the party. House Speaker Paul Ryan tweeted that he is “a proven leader and person of enormous accomplishment”.
Condoleezza Rice, a former secretary of state who refused to endorse Trump for president, said: “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.
“I know Rex as a successful business man and a patriot. He will represent the interests and the values of the United States with resolve and commitment. And he will lead the exceptional men and women of the State Department with respect and dedication.”
Robert Gates, a former defence secretary and CIA director, also offered support: “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.”
And Newt Gingrich, former House speaker and a Trump ally, tweeted: “He will fight for America as effectively as he championed Exxon Mobil... Getting Rex Tillerson to serve as Secretary of State is a great achievement by President elect Trump. He will help make America great again.”
Meanwhile the current secretary of state, John Kerry, struck a carefully neutral tone. “I congratulate Rex Tillerson on his nomination as secretary of state,” he said. “The State Department will continue to provide our full support for a smooth transition, so that the incoming administration can pursue the important work of US foreign policy around the world.”
