Rex Tillerson

Rex Tillerson Says Plan Colombia Was Better For Us Interests

... 9 minutes ago). In Tillerson's opinion, the U. S. interests were better served during the military collaboration of Plan Colombia rather than when Colombia is finally at peace. At his confirmation hearing, former Exxon Mobil chief executive Rex Tillerson said he would review the details of Colombia’s recent peace agreement, and determine the extent to which the United States should continue to support it. Trump’s Secretary of State Wants Assata Shakur Re-Imprisoned. In Tillerson's opinion, the U. S. interests were better served during the military collaboration of Plan Colombia rather than when Colombia is finally at peace, after decades of armed conflict. He added, "Plan Colombia has made a dramatic difference and can be considered a foreign policy success for both the United States and for Colombia.". ...

Confirm A Personal Diplomat

... be good television, it is hardly a way for a new Secretary of State to leverage a personal relationship to achieve U. S. interests in dealing with Russia. Tillerson was unflinching when it came to policy positions. He affirmed the sovereignty of Ukraine against Russian aggression, but he wisely refused to get baited into what could have quickly become an intractable diplomatic relationship. This is the precisely the comportment America needs in its leaders. History, after all, confirms the importance of wise personal diplomacy. Consider President George H. W. Bush’s friendships with Chinese leaders, developed during his time as emissary to Beijing. After Chinese Premier Deng had shut down all communications in the midst of China’s suppression of its student-led, pro-democracy Tiananmen Square ...

Rex Tillerson Got Burned In Venezuela. Then He Got Revenge

... scheduled to visit Guyana last month when President-elect Donald Trump nominated him for secretary of state, forcing him to cancel the trip, according to local press reports. Lauren Kerr, an Exxon Mobil spokeswoman, confirmed that Tillerson and Granger have met, “though as a matter of practice we don’t comment on discussions with government officials,” she said. Kerr said the claims by Venezuela’s Maduro that Exxon Mobil financed Granger’s 2015 presidential campaign were baseless. “Exxon Mobil does not make political contributions in any nation other than the United States and Canada,” she said. Exxon Mobil signed its deal for the Stabroek block with the Guyanese government in 1999. The country’s ruling leftist party had generally warm relations with Chavez’s Venezuelan government, and shipments of subsidized ...

Is The Fate Of Rex Tillerson In Doubt

... I’m told that, since Tillerson’s hearing, the senators on the Foreign Relations Committee have sent him nearly 1,000 questions—many times more than the usual amount—that he must answer before a vote is taken on his nomination. The committee’s membership is almost evenly divided along party lines—11 Republicans and 10 Democrats. If every Democrat were to vote against Tillerson, it would take just one Republican to block the nomination. Three of the panel’s Democrats have publicly said they will vote no; staffers tell me that one more is on the verge of joining in and that the other six are leaning in that direction. As for the Republicans, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio harshly questioned Tillerson at the hearing about Russia and human rights in general; afterward, he told reporters that he was thinking seriously about doing “the right thing.” Rubio may also be seeking revenge against Trump, who belittled him during the presidential race and is believed to be contemplating a run in 2020 if Trump’s first term is wildly unpopular. Many assume ...

New Studies Show Rex Tillerson Is Wrong About Climate Risks

... Larsen C Ice Shelf, as seen during Ice Bridge’s “Pine Island 5” mission on Nov. 4, 2016. Ice is rapidly destabilizing near both of Earth’s poles, and poses threats of rapid large-scale sea level rise. Photograph: Nathan Kurtz/Ice Bridge/NASA. New studies show Rex Tillerson is wrong about climate risks. The remaining climate change uncertainties point toward higher risks and greater urgency for action. Monday 16 January 2017 11.00 GMT. Last modified on Monday 23 January 2017 10.07 GMT. Share on Messenger. President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State – and until recently the CEO of Exxon Mobil – Rex Tillerson was given a confirmation hearing by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week. In his testimony, Tillerson accepted the reality of human-caused global warming and that “The risk of climate change does exist and the consequences of it could be serious enough that action should be taken.”. While he accepted the problem exists, Tillerson nevertheless proceeded to downplay its risks, saying. The increase in the greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere are having an effect, our ability to predict that effect is very ...

Rex Tillerson Is Approved By Senate Panel For Secretary Of State

... that turned the tide. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Monday said he would vote for Tillerson's confirmation. His was some of the toughest questioning during Tillerson's Jan. 11 hearing before the committee. Rubio pushed the 64-year-old Texas native on his ties to Russia and friendly relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Rubio and others also complained that Tillerson seemed reluctant to criticize countries whose governments are widely documented to be abusers of human rights, such as the Philippines and Saudi Arabia. But Rubio said Monday that despite "troubling" answers from Tillerson, he decided to allow "significant deference" to Trump in naming his national security team. On Sunday, Republican Sens. John Mc Cain and Lindsey Graham , who initially resisted the Tillerson selection, threw their support behind Tillerson, a career Exxon executive. Although they are not members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, they are influential within the party and can help steer the vote on the Senate floor. Among the opponents to Tillerson was Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), ranking Democrat on the committee. Cardin said Monday he could ...

Senate Panel Approves Rex Tillerson For Secretary Of State

... said he opposed Tillerson’s nomination because “the fundamental role of a secretary of State is to promote American values.” He said Tillerson would not answer questions about whether he supported sanctions or whether development assistance should be contingent on human rights. “So many times he qualified (his responses) that he sounded like a business person and not like a secretary of State,” Cardin said. Cardin said Tillerson lacked the passion for human rights shown by other Trump nominees, such as South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, picked to be ambassador to the United Nations, and James Mattis, who was confirmed Friday as secretary of Defense. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N. J., said he respects Tillerson’s experience, but his world views don't support a tradition of promoting U. S. values such as protecting human rights and enforcing rule of law. “It is not the type of moral clarity I would like a secretary of State to espouse,” Menendez said. Menendez also ...

Rex Tillerson, Trump's Pick For Secretary Of State, Wins Key Support From Gop Senators

... Tillerson, 64, cut numerous multibillion-dollar deals with the Russian government — as well as with other dictators and unfriendly rulers — and maintained what he described as a friendly relationship with Putin. Tillerson opposed sanctions against Russia that Washington and the European Union imposed after Putin invaded Ukraine and seized Crimea in 2014. And he was the rare American to receive one of Russia's highest awards, the Order of Friendship, in 2013. In his confirmation hearing on Jan. 11 before the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Tillerson sought to allay fears of his critics. At least initially, he had tough talk for Russia, saying it had to be considered an adversary. Later, he wavered somewhat on sanctions and whether Russia's bombings of civilians in Syria should be considered a war crime. Still, he apparently departed sufficiently from Trump's ...

Ed Markey Says He Will Vote No On Rex Tillerson’s Nomination. Here’s His Statement Why

... nomination, and for his willingness to enter public service. After careful review of Mr. Tillerson’s record and listening to his views during his confirmation hearing, I will not support his nomination. “During his testimony before the Foreign Relations Committee, after my repeated questioning, Mr. Tillerson refused to recuse himself from all matters related to Exxon Mobil for the entirety of his term. Mr. Tillerson has vocally opposed sanctions against Russia, which hamper Exxon Mobil’s ability to drill there. As CEO of Exxon Mobil, the company massively expanded its involvement in Russia, going from virtually no holdings in that country to holding the drilling rights to 63 million acres, an area the size of Wyoming. Only by recusing himself from all matters affecting Exxon Mobil’s financial interests for the duration of his tenure would Mr. Tillerson be able to assure the American people that as Secretary of State he would put their interests — not Exxon Mobil’s — first. “I also have serious concerns about Mr. Tillerson’s ...

Senate Committee To Vote On Rex Tillerson Nomination For Secretary Of State

... States. Headlines Jan 23, 2017. Saturday’s historic mobilization came one day after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45 th president of the United States. During New York Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer’s speech at the inauguration, some in the audience booed as he spoke about being inclusive of all races, religions, gender identities and sexual orientations. Minutes later, Chief Justice John Roberts swore Trump into the office of the presidency, sparking outcries from some in the crowd. Chief Justice John Roberts: "Please raise your right hand and repeat after me: I, Donald John Trump, do solemnly swear…". President-elect Donald Trump: "I, Donald John Trump…". Protesters: "Unfit, not legit! Unfit, not legit! Go to hell! Go to hell! Go to hell! Go to hell!". Coordinated actions in Washington, D. C., also shut down multiple checkpoints to block people from attending Trump’s inauguration. This is Democracy Now!’s ...

As A Diplomat, Rex Tillerson Would Face Off With Beijing Over Gas Projects He Steered As A Big Oil Ceo

... off Vietnam’s coast in the South China Sea (among many others ). For years Exxon Mobil, with Vietnam’s blessing and Tillerson as CEO (who spent over 40 years working for the energy giant until he resigned last month ), has been laying the groundwork for a $10 billion natural gas project at the Ca Voi Xanh gas field. Nicknamed “Blue Whale,” the field lies about 80 km (50 miles) off the central coast. That’s well within the Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone, where the nation has sole rights to extract resources in and below the sea, as per the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Unfortunately, China has other ideas. Blue Whale is in deepwater Block 118. At least part of that block also falls within the dubious “nine-dash line” that China uses to claim nearly the entire sea as its own—a claim that flies in the ...

Rex Tillerson Set To Reverse Obama's Decrees On Cuba

... confirmed. While Tillerson still needs to be confirmed by the full Senate, he was confirmed by a Senate committee Monday. Beside the pretext of “human rights,” the likely secretary of state highlighted how he will pressure Cuba to serve U. S. economic and political interests. Tillerson promised he will work with the Treasury Department to ensure that no revenue from U. S. firms goes directly toward supporting the Cuban government, and will use trade to pressure Cuba to have Black Panther activist Joanne Chesimard, or Assata Shakur , extradited to the United States. Shakur was accused of killing a U. S. police officer during a shootout in New Jersey in 1977. Rex Tillerson Already Talking Regime Change in Venezuela. He added he will keep actively support Cuba's opposition to the government, including the funding of Miami-based, counter-revolutionary, programs like Radio and TV Marti. U. S. Republican Senator Marco Rubio reluctantly backed President Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of state and over the weekend, fellow Republican senators John Mc Cain and Lindsey Graham said they ...