Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson was on Tuesday chosen as the new US Secretary of State by President- elect Donald Trump, a nomination that could face intense scrutiny due to the veteran oil executive’s close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “His tenacity, broad experience and deep understanding of geopolitics make him (Tillerson) an excellent choice for Secretary of State,” Trump said in the statement.
like Trump, Tillerson, 64, has no formal foreign policy experience, but has built close relationships with many world leaders by closing massive deals across Eurasia and the Middle East on behalf of the world’s largest energy company.
Tillerson was originally a dark horse for the secretary of state nomination, but emerged from a lengthy public interview and vetting process that included better-known quantities like former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney and Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee.
Trump has called Tillerson a “world-class player” and the transition team is likely to stress that his mastery of complex negotiations and knowledge of geopolitical factors shaping the oil industry are directly relevant to heading US diplomacy and managing the State Department.
Tillerson was recommended to Trump by former secretaries of state Condoleezza Rice and James Baker and former Secretary of Defence Bob Gates, CNN quoted sources as saying.