U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is expected to name the chief executive of Exxon Mobil Corp as the country’s top diplomat, a source familiar with the situation said on Saturday, an appointment that would put in place an official with close ties to the Russian government.
News of Rex Tillerson’s possible appointment comes as U.S. intelligence analysts have concluded that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Mr. Trump win the White House.
The choice of Mr. Tillerson further stocks Mr. Trump’s Cabinet and inner circle with people who favour a soft line toward Moscow.
Honoured by Russia
Mr. Tillerson (64) has driven Exxon’s expansion in Russia for decades and opposed U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia for its seizure of Crimea.
Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded Mr. Tillerson Russia’s Order of Friendship, one of the country’s highest civilian honours.
Mr. Tillerson emerged on Friday as Mr. Trump’s leading candidate for U.S. Secretary of State over 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and three other people.
Mr. Tillerson met with Mr. Trump for more than two hours at Trump Tower on Saturday morning. It was their second meeting about the position this week.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Mr. Tillerson was the expected pick but cautioned no formal offer had yet been made.
A senior official on the Trump transition team said the President-elect was close to picking Mr. Tillerson.
Trump spokesman Jason Miller said no announcement on the high-profile job was forthcoming in the immediate future.
“Transition Update: No announcements on Secretary of State until next week at the earliest. #MakeAmericaGreatAgain,” he tweeted.
NBC News, which first reported the development, said Mr. Trump would also name John Bolton, a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, as Deputy-Secretary of State.
As Exxon’s CEO, Mr. Tillerson oversees operations in more than50 countries, including Russia.
In 2011, Exxon signed a deal with Rosneft, Russia’s largest state-owned oil company, for joint oil exploration and production. Since then, the companies have formed 10 joint ventures for projects in Russia. — Reuters
