WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on Tuesday regarding President-elect Trump’s nomination of Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State:
“Rex Tillerson has spent his entire career putting oil company profits first and the interests of his country second. That’s not surprising – it was his job as the head of Exxon. But it’s fantasy to think he will magically change his stripes once in office. The people I represent in Connecticut deserve better.
“Most concerning is Mr. Tillerson’s long standing alliance with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. As one of Putin’s closest corporate allies, Tillerson opposed U.S. national security interests by siding with Russia against Europe and the United States. Mr. Tillerson opposed sanctions levied against Russia in the wake of their invasion of Ukraine. When asked by President Obama to refrain from attending a major economic development conference hosted by Putin in the middle of the Ukraine crisis, Tillerson embarrassed America and our allies by sending his deputy and announcing major new contracts with Russia at the forum. It’s not surprising that Tillerson was awarded the Order of Friendship by Putin just three years ago.
“For years, I’ve listened to my Republican colleagues in the Senate eviscerate President Obama for being too weak on Russia. No Republican who has called for a tougher line against Russia should ever be taken seriously again if they vote to put a Putin ally at the top of the State Department.
“At Exxon, Tillerson also worked against American policy in the Middle East. Most notably, when the United States was trying to build a unified Iraq under the control of a central government in Baghdad, U.S. officials begged Exxon not to sign an oil agreement with the Kurdistan regional government, which would undermine Baghdad’s authority. Tillerson once again put oil company profits over U.S. interests and signed the contract over strong U.S. government objections.
“Finally, and most obviously, putting an oil company executive in charge of the State Department dooms our climate. With an oil industry executive at the helm of U.S. climate policy, polluters will be rewarded and all the progress the Obama Administration has made to control global greenhouse gases will be destroyed. Further, putting an oil executive in charge of the State Department will alienate many nations who consider climate policy a priority, making cooperation on non-climate priorities harder.
“There is no doubt Rex Tillerson is a successful businessman and a very smart person. But he has proven, many times, his willingness to put oil profits before national interests, and handing him the keys of U.S. foreign policy is a recipe for disaster. Republicans and Democrats must join to oppose his confirmation.”
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