Finally!! I’m sick of “sources” leaking what is confirmed this morning – Trump has picked his nomination for the Secretary of State:
BREAKING: President-elect Trump officially announces intentions to nominate ExxonMobil CEO Tillerson Secretary of State
— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 13, 2016
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to serve as secretary of state, the transition team announced Tuesday, setting up a heated Senate confirmation battle and signaling a desire to ease Washington’s estrangement with Russia.
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.
“His tenacity, broad experience and deep understanding of geopolitics make him an excellent choice for Secretary of State,” Trump said in the statement.
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 GOP nominee Mitt Romney and Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee.
But that doesn’t mean he’ll make it – there is a lot of controversy over his yuge deals with Putin and Russia, and whether he’s too cozy with the rooskies.
Joe Scarborough offered this in defense of the anti-Putin narrative:
Rex Tillerson was recommended by Bob Gates and Condi Rice, and is a longtime friend of James Baker. Hardly the pedigree of a Putin stooge.
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) December 12, 2016
Eh. At least this will be fun:
Keith Olbermann is going to have an epic meltdown today now that #RexTillerson is confirmed as SOS.
I can't wait!
— The Daily Dish (@TheDailyDish2) December 13, 2016
Here’s a report from last night about Tillerson:
JUST IN: Donald Trump to select ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, sources tell NBC News. https://t.co/NRr4nLDeyL
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) December 13, 2016