The Trump Transition team is advertising Former Georgia Democrat and U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn’s endorsement of Exxon tycoon Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, calling him “Well prepared to do what is essential.”
If you want to weigh the value of Nunn’s testimony for the rest of us, this is the same language used, significantly, by Newt Gingrich.
Trump, of course, claimed all the CIA’s intel about his Russia ties were lies before nominating Vladimir Putin’s BFF for the job.
Speaking of the man who has the Russian Order of Friendship from the hands of Vladmir Putin, Nunn, says, according to The Atlanta Journal Constitution,
“I consider Rex Tillerson’s experience and knowledge in business as an asset – not a liability.
“I know Rex Tillerson pretty well, and I am confident that he is well prepared to do what is essential for the security of our nation: to hold firm and tough where our national interests and our values demand it and to build on our common interests in working with other nations – including Russia – on practical, concrete steps that will make the American people safer and more secure.”
As The Washington Post reminds us, the Order of Friendship doesn’t necessarily mean much by itself. However, it means a great deal given the depth of Tillerson’s ties to Putin’s Russia.
Nunn seems to be forgetting we are vetting a Secretary of State and not a CEO. Where business ties to Russia are concerned this is certainly true, but the business world is not the world of diplomacy. Sure, Putin loves him, but consider Tillerson’s major conflict of interest, a holding company based in Russia:
Time to break the internet:Tillerson owns a holding company based in #Russia#trumpleaks #theresistance #goldenshowers #trump #putin #obama pic.twitter.com/xmT3Iz5hMS
— Scott Dworkin (@funder) January 11, 2017
Americans have a very real cause for concern that Tillerson’s treatment of Russia would in any way endanger his profits there. The same is true, of course, of Donald Trump himself, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who also face conflicts of interests due to business ties with Russia.
When added to Trump’s yet-to-be-fully-unraveled ties to Putin, Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State is one Putin ally too many in this administration.
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