The dismantling of American democracy continued Saturday as NBC News announced that Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson will be selected as Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State.
Vladimir is pleased.
A Wall Street Journal story posted December 6 reports:
Friends and associates said few U.S. citizens are closer to Mr. Putin than Mr. Tillerson, who has known Mr. Putin since he represented Exxon’s interests in Russia during the regime of Boris Yeltsin.
In 2011, Mr. Tillerson struck a deal giving Exxon access to prized Arctic resources in Russia as well as allowing Russia’s state oil company, OAO Rosneft, to invest in Exxon concessions all over the world. The following year, the Kremlin bestowed the country’s Order of Friendship decoration on Mr. Tillerson.
According to the Radio Free Europe website:
Tillerson rose to prominence through Exxon’s Russian energy business and Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded him a state Order of Friendship medal in 2013 for what the Kremlin called a “significant contribution to strengthening cooperation in the fuel and energy sector.”
In 2011, Exxon Mobil signed a deal with Rosneft, Russia’s largest state-owned oil company, for joint oil exploration and production.
Since then the two companies have formed 10 joint ventures for projects in Russia, but Western sanctions against Russia, which prevent the country from certain energy development activities, have slowed Exxon Mobil’s investments.
Tillerson has been a vocal critic of Western sanctions, which have forced Exxon Mobil to abandon some projects, costing it at least $1 billion in losses.
Tillerson’s company has also not been able to collect its revenues from an investment in an oil and gas consortium it belongs to that operates off Russia’s Sakhalin Island.
Adding some spice to the stew, NBC News reports Tillerson will be paired with former U.N. Ambassador John “I Am the Walrus” Bolton as his deputy secretary of state for day-to-day management of the department, one source added.
Mitt Romney could not be reached for comment,
