Trump chooses 'pro-Russian' oil tycoon as Secretary of State

US President-elect Donald Trump is said to have officially chosen Mr. Rex Tillerson, chairman and CEO of oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil, for the position of Secretary of State in his upcoming administration, the AP news agency said today, December 13.

Mr. Rex Tillerson, chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil oil and gas corporation. (Photo: Getty)

APCiting sources from officials in the transition team of US President-elect Donald Trump, Mr. Trump yesterday, December 12, officially chose Mr. Tillerson as the head of the US State Department in his upcoming administration.

This appointment decision is expected to be announced by Mr. Trump later today, December 13, Vietnam time. An official in Mr. Trump's power transition team said that the President-elect was very impressed with Mr. Tillerson's style and experience. For his part, in an interview withFox News“A big plus is he knows a lot of the other guys,” Trump said over the weekend. “He’s done a lot of business in Russia. He’s done a lot of business for his company.”

Tillerson is known to have made ExxonMobil the world's largest oil and gas corporation. He has extensive experience in international business, including dealings with Russia and his personal relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, this may cause him to face obstacles when his appointment must go through the Senate in the context of US politics being shaken by information that Russia may have interfered in this year's US presidential election.

Unlike other positions, the process of finding a candidate for Mr. Trump’s Secretary of State is quite complicated and time-consuming. There was speculation that Senator Mitt Romney, the former Republican presidential candidate, could be a potential choice for the position, especially when another candidate, Rudolph Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, unexpectedly announced last week that he would withdraw from the list.

The final decision to select Mr. Tillerson was considered quite surprising and has sparked controversy among US Congressional officials. Senator Marco Rubio also expressed concern about Mr. Trump choosing a figure with close ties to Russia as Secretary of State.

According to Dan Tri