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47. Rex Tillerson (Trump Secretary of State)

47. Rex Tillerson (Trump Secretary of State)

47.1. General Information

  • There is an excessively extensive research document on Rex Tillerson (270 pages). Source
  • 3/21/2017 – Tillerson: “I didn’t want this job. I didn’t seek this job.” Source

47.2. Relationship with Russia

47.2.1. General

  • 12/6/2016 - Tillerson has a very close relationship to Putin. Source
  • 12/12/2016 - Tillerson (via Exxon) has billions at stake over Russia sanctions. Source
  • 12/13/2016 – Additional look at his relationship with Putin. Source
  • 1/12/2017 – Tillerson seems to have mixed response in regards to Russian sanctions. Source
  • 4/11/2017 - The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin does not plan on meeting with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson when he visits Moscow on Wednesday. Source
  • 4/12/2017 - Tillerson leaves press pool behind to meet Putin. Source
  • 6/1/2017 - Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s office declined a call with the EU’s foreign-policy chief, Federica Mogherini, after his visit to Russia in April. Tillerson’s office rejected Mogherini’s request for a call and instead kicked it down to a lower-level State Department official. That move infuriated her and came against the backdrop of an already strained U.S.-EU relationship under TrumpSource

47.2.2. Exxon

47.2.2.1 General
  • 12/2/2016 - President-elect Donald Trump has disclosed owning millions of dollars of stock in companies with business pending before the U.S. government and whose value could rise as a result of his policies. Source
  • 12/18/2016 - Leak reveals Rex Tillerson was director of Bahamas-based US-Russian oil firm. Source
  • 2/1/2017 - Immediately after Tillerson was confirmed as Secretary of State the House removes transparency rule for oil companies. Source
    • 12/14/2017 - Trump choosing Tillerson caused a spike in Rosneft stock. Source (Russian language)
  • 3/6/2017 - ExxonMobil promises to spend $20B on 10-year Gulf Coast expansion. Source
  • 3/7/2017 - Secretary of State Rex Tillerson may have still owned millions of dollars of ExxonMobil stock at the time President Trump made praising the oil giant a matter of White House policy. Source
  • 4/19/2017 - Exxon Seeks U.S. Waiver to Work in Russia Despite Sanctions. Source
    • 4/20/2017 - Bipartisan opposition takes shape; Rubio says waiver sought by oil giant isn’t ‘in America’s national security interest" Source

      • 4/21/2017 - Treasury refuses to give Exxon Mobil special waiver to drill in sanctioned Russia. Source
  • 4/19/2017 - Exxon and Citgo both invest 500k into Trump Inaugural committee. Source
  • 5/19/2017 - The State Department is withholding a document related to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s communications with the department about Russia in his capacity as ExxonMobil Chairman and CEO, citing a need to protect internal deliberations. Source
47.2.2.2 Trump
  • 3/6/2017 – The White house plagiarized some of Exxon’s press release in a statement praising Exxon. Source
  • 3/6/2017 - "Buy American & hire American are the principles at the core of my agenda, which is: JOBS, JOBS, JOBS! Thank you @exxonmobil. Source
  • 3/6/2017 – “Thank you to @exxonmobil for your $20 billion investment that is creating more than 45,000 manufacturing & construction jobs in the USA!” Source
  • 3/7/2017 - Trump raises eyebrows with heavy promotion of ExxonMobil announcement Source
47.2.2.3 Highlights from research doc. Source
  • 2011 (Page 10)- The Exxon-* *ROSNEFT ** agreement commits Exxon to spend about $1 billion looking for oil off Russia’s Black Sea coast, and holds the promise of sharing in the prize if it is discovered.
  • 08/2011(Page 11)- * *ROSNEFT ** and ExxonMobil have executed a Strategic Cooperation Agreement under which the companies plan to undertake joint exploration and development of hydrocarbon resources in Russia, the United States and other countries throughout the world, and commence technology and expertise sharing activities.
  • 2011 (Page 108) - TILLERSON Struck A Deal With ROSNEFT, Hailed By PUTIN Ally Igor SECHIN And Chairman Of * *ROSNEFT ** As A “Giant Leap Forward… More Ambitious Than Man’s First Walk In Space Or Sending A Man To The Moon.”
  • 2012 (Page 109)- Rex TILLERSON And Vladimir PUTIN Met In Sochi To Announce $3.2 Billion Investment By Exxon And Russia’s * *ROSNEFT ** To Drill In The Arctic Kara Sea, With Possible Future Investment Reaching $500 Billion.
  • 2014(Page 147)- Exxon Signed An Agreement With Igor I. SECHIN, Head Of Russian State Oil Company ROSNEFT , Weeks After The U.S. Imposed Sanctions On SECHIN.
  • 2016(Page 147) – Igor Sechin Invited Rex Tillerson to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum
  • (Page 148) - “Tillerson maintained a close relationship with Russian government, often at odds with US government positions.”

*I have noted some of the instances but there are very many instances of relationships in the full document.