North Texas CEO Leading Contender For Secretary Of State
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IRVING (CBSDFW.COM) - After weeks of speculation about who will be Donald Trump's secretary of state, a North Texas CEO has become the leading contender.
Exxon Mobil Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson was already planning to retire by March of next year. Now his next role looks increasingly like a move outside of the corporate world.
Taking a break from the Army-Navy game, Donald Trump kept his comments brief when asked if Tillerson would be his nominee.
"Well he's a great man. We'll see what happens," Trump said.
Tillerson's likely selection took many by surprise considering his lack of public sector diplomatic service. But UTA political science expert Allan Saxe says that shouldn't be an issue.
"If you are the head of this kind of an international company all over the world, you've dealt with the leaders of many of these countries as well. So in a way he does have diplomatic experience," Dr. Saxe said.
In fact the criticism most likely to affect Tillerson is that he could be too close to some world leaders.
"Therein lies perhaps his Achilles Heel. He'll come up for confirmation hearings, but there's a lot of people that are saying that he's been a little too cozy with Vladimir Putin of Russia," Saxe said.
Exxon's negotiations for drilling rights in the arctic have led to close ties between Tillerson and Putin. It's something Senator John McCain has already said confirmation hearings would address.
"I have, obviously, concerns of reports of his relationship with Vladamir Putin who is a thug and a murderer," McCain told a reporter.
"I would probably argue all of President-elect Trump's nominees are going to be confirmed, but it's going to be a soap opera," Saxe said.
The transition team has said Trump expects to announce his nominee for secretary of state sometime next week.
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