Rex Tillerson

[[File:Vladimir Putin and Rex Tillerson (2013-06-13) (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|165px|Tillerson, receiving the Order of 
the Russian Stooge
 Friendship]]
{{uspolitics}}
'''Rex Wayne Tillerson''', a.k.a. "Wayne Tracker"<ref>[https://www.commondreams.org/views/2018/03/25/state-department-drama-shows-just-how-far-trump-will-go-big-oil?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=socialnetwork The State Department Drama Shows Just How Far Trump Will Go for Big Oil: In this White House, the most dangerous industry on earth has a stranglehold on U.S. foreign policy] by Basav Sen (March 25, 2018) ''Common Dreams''.</ref> {{lived|1952}} has a bachelor's degree in [[engineering]] and began his career at Exxon in 1975 as a production engineer. He rose through the ranks, becoming president of Exxon Yemen Inc. and Esso Exploration and Production Khorat Inc. in 1975, then becoming CEO of ExxonMobil (2006-2016).<ref>[http://news.exxonmobil.com/press-release/rex-tillerson-retire-darren-woods-elected-chairman-ceo-exxon-mobil-corporation Rex Tillerson to Retire, Darren Woods Elected Chairman, CEO of Exxon Mobil Corporation] (Dec 14, 2016 — 03:00 p.m. EST) ''ExxonMobil''.</ref> In 2017, he became the 69<sup>th</sup> Secretary of State of the [[United States]], serving one of the shortest tenures of any United States Secretary of State.

==ExxonMobil==
Exxon (later ExxonMobil) has known since at least 1977 that [[global warming]] from [[fossil fuel]]s could be an issue. By 1981, Exxon was "already factoring climate change into decisions about new fossil fuel extraction". In 1995, there was an internal Exxon report that unequivocally stated that "burning the companies' products was causing climate chhttps://rationalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Rex_Tillerson&action=unwatchange and that the relevant science 'is well established and cannot be denied.'"<ref>[http://www.ucsusa.org/global-warming/fight-misinformation/climate-deception-dossiers-fossil-fuel-industry-memos The Climate Deception Dossiers] (July 9, 2015 update) Union of Concerned Scientists</ref><ref>[https://s3.amazonaws.com/ucs-documents/global-warming/Climate-Deception-Dossiers_All.pdf Deception Dossiers: All Documents] Union of Concerned Scientists</ref>

Nonetheless, ExxonMobil (including Tillerson himself) has publicly cast doubt on anthropogenic climate change, and the science behind it in what amounts to a [[coverup]].<ref name=ucs>[https://www.ucsusa.org/publications/got-science/2016/got-science-may-2016 Still Disinforming: ExxonMobil’s Continued Culpability in Climate Denial] (May 2016) ''Union of Concerned Scientists''.</ref> ExxonMobil has funded climate change-denialist [[think tank]]s, including during Tillerson's tenure as CEO.<ref name=ucs/><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/14/exxonmobil-documents-wall-street-journal-climate-science New files shed light on ExxonMobil’s efforts to undermine climate science: Executives privately sought to downplay link between fossil fuels and climate change despite public pronouncements, WSJ reports] by Dharna Noor (14 Sep 2023 14.03 EDT) ''The Guardian''.</ref><ref>[https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/exxon-climate-change-documents-e2e9e6af Inside Exxon’s Strategy to Downplay Climate Change: Internal documents show what the oil giant said publicly was very different from how it approached the issue privately in the Tillerson era] by Christopher M. Matthews & Collin Eaton (Sept. 14, 2023 5:30 am ET) ''The Wall Street Journal''.</ref> Also during Tillerson's tenure, ExxonMobil was sued in 2016 for allegedly misleading shareholders on climate change (''People of the State of New York v PricewaterhouseCoopers and Exxon Mobil Corporation'').<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tillerson-email/tillersons-email-alias-was-prompted-by-business-needs-exxon-says-idUSKBN16L2QD Tillerson's email alias was prompted by business needs, Exxon says] by Ernest Scheyder (March 14, 2017 / 3:17 PM) ''Reuters''.</ref>

In 2013, Tillerson received the {{wpl|Order of Friendship}} (Орден Дружбы) from [[Vladimir Putin]] for his "big contribution to developing cooperation in the energy sector."<ref>[http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/18382 Meeting with energy company heads: Vladimir Putin took part in a round table at the Energy Club Summit: Reshaping Global Oil Markets, which took place as part of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.] (June 21, 2013; 14:45) ''President of Russia''.</ref> The award preceded the 2014 sanctions against Russia because of Russian intervention in the [[Ukraine]],<ref>{{wpa|International sanctions during the Ukrainian crisis}}</ref> and has since been tainted by both the deteriorating US relationship with Russia, and the US Treasury Department's $2 million fine against ExxonMobil for violation of the sanctions against Russia beginning in 2014.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/07/20/u-s-says-exxonmobil-violated-russia-sanctions-while-tillerson-was-ceo/ The strange legal battle that is pitting Trump’s secretaries of the Treasury and State against each other] by Damian Paletta and Carol Morello (July 20, 2017) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

==Boy Scouts of America==
{{main|Boy Scouts of America}}
From 2010 to April 30, 2012, Tillerson was also the national president of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Tillerson left the BSA a few months before they were forced to release 20,000 pages of documentation on known child sexual abuse cases within the organization.<ref>[https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2012/1018/Boy-Scouts-child-abuse-files-Can-the-organization-withstand-their-release Boy Scouts child abuse files: Can the organization withstand their release? In recent years, the Boy Scouts of America has implemented many new guidelines to protect against new abuse. Even though morale inside the BSA remains high, some experts say the group is fighting a losing battle.] by Gloria Goodale, (October 18, 2012) ''Christian Science Monitor''.</ref> During Tillerson's tenure, the BSA had a policy of mandatory reporting of sexual abuse to authorities, but kept silent about past abuses and the large amount of records they had.<ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/we-were-abused-as-boy-scouts-why-didnt-rex-tillerson-speak-out We Were Abused as Boy Scouts. Why Didn’t Rex Tillerson Speak Out? As Boy Scout president, Tillerson never apologized for the abuse of thousands of boys by scoutmasters and volunteers. I was one of those children.] by Matt Stewart (01.11.17 1:13 AM ET) ''The Daily Beast''.</ref>

==Secretary of State==
{{cquote|He is a contender for worst Secretary of State in history. He was also virtually irrelevant in crafting policy. He will be most known for his disdain of U.S. diplomacy. In a period of economic expansion he set about gutting a department that had already suffered under six years of austerity. His disastrous ‘reorg’ has proved a lie to the notion that government should be run like a business. In his brief tenure [he] has found a way to inflict lasting damage to the diplomatic corps and U.S. diplomacy.|||Max Bergmann, Senior Fellow at [[Center for American Progress]] and former State Department staff<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/03/13/tillerson-is-put-out-of-his-misery/ Tillerson is put out of his misery] by Jennifer Rubin (March 13, 2018 at 9:39 AM) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>}} 

Tillerson, though a long-time financial supporter of [[Republican]] political campaigns, was not an early supporter of [[Donald Trump|Trump]] and gave no money at all to the 2016 Trump campaign.<ref>[https://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/rex-tillerson.asp?cycle=16 Rex Tillerson: Political Campaign Contributions, 2016 Election Cycle] (2017) CampaignMoney.com</ref>

Tillerson's first year in office as Secretary of State has been marked by a combination of official impotence<ref>[https://medium.com/@allanishac/tillerson-in-scathing-resignation-letter-quits-before-trump-can-fire-him-1bb7df2eb440 Truth In Satire: Tillerson, In Scathing Resignation Letter, Quits Before Trump Can Fire Him. Secretary of State slams beleaguered president in withering missive as he exits revolving door of doomed administration] by Allan Ishac (December 1, 2017) ''Medium''.</ref> and an unprecedented evisceration of the State Department.<ref>[https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/03/state-department-trump/517965/ The State of Trump's State Department: Anxiety and listless days as a foreign-policy bureaucracy confronts the possibility of radical change] Julia Ioffe (Mar 1, 2017) ''The Atlantic''.</ref> It would appear that Trump nominated Tillerson, not for his diplomatic experience (he had none) but rather as a show of power (being the boss of one of the world's largest corporations). Tillerson was largely a figurehead since Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner repeatedly conducted foreign policy without Tillerson's awareness.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/tillerson-jared-kushner-left-him-in-the-dark-on-conversations-with-foreign-nations/2019/06/27/c877a780-64c8-43d5-8567-d4cb2c9b948b_story.html Rex Tillerson vents about Jared Kushner’s secret dealings with foreign leaders] by John Hudson & Josh Dawsey (June 27, 2019 at 2:42 PM) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

Tillerson has repeatedly had to face direct contradictions or belittlings from Trump of virtually every attempt of his public diplomacy:
*'''Climate change''': Despite being involved in [[climate change denial]]ism at ExxonMobil, Tillerson has supported the US staying in the {{wpl|Paris climate accord}} and has also supported a [[carbon tax]] (although probably just to quash the possibility of cap-and-trade).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/*/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/28/business/energy-environment/rex-tillerson-secretary-of-state-exxon.html Tillerson Led Exxon’s Shift on Climate Change; Some Say 'It Was All P.R.'] by John Schwartz (Dec. 28, 2016) ''The New York Times'' (archived from December 27, 2017).</ref> Trump announced on June 1, 2017 that the US would withdraw from all participation in the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.<ref>{{wpa|United States withdrawal from the Paris Agreement}}</ref> 
*'''[[Middle East]]''': Trump [[Nepotism|named his son-in-law]], Jared Kushner (who not only has no diplomatic experience whatsoever, but none of his team has any experience either,<ref>[https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/fp_20171205_keynote_kushner.pdf SABAN Forum 2017: "America First" and the Middle East, A Keynote Conversation With Jared Kushner] discussion between Jared Kushner and Haim Saban (December 3, 2017) ''The Brookings Institute''.</ref> ''and'' Kushner has an overt pro-[[Israel]] bias),<ref>[http://www.newsweek.com/jared-kushner-disclosure-form-west-bank-settlements-israel-white-house-729290 Jared Kushner Failed to Disclose He Led a Foundation Funding Illegal Israeli Settlements Before U.N. Vote] by Chris Riotta (12/3/17 at 6:00 AM) ''Newsweek''.</ref> as a White House envoy to [[PIDOOMA|jump-start Middle East peace]]. Tillerson has been kept in the dark about Kushner's activities<ref>[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-01/kushner-is-said-to-leave-tillerson-in-dark-on-middle-east-talks Kushner Is Leaving Tillerson in the Dark on Middle East Talks, Sources Say] by Nick Wadhams & Erik Schatzker (December 1, 2017, 3:27 PM PST; Updated on December 2, 2017, 6:24 AM PST) ''Bloomberg''.</ref> and has caused a rift between the two with regard to the [[Saudi Arabia]]-[[Qatar]] dispute.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/04/politics/jared-kushner-rex-tillerson-middle-east/index.html Kushner's foreign policy gamble fuels Tillerson feud] by Elise Labott and Gloria Borger (Updated 5:20 PM ET, Mon December 4, 2017) ''CNN''.</ref>
*'''[[North Korea]]''': While Tillerson has made repeated diplomatic overtures toward North Korea, he has been repeatedly and publicly contradicted by Trump,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20171215073953/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/13/world/asia/north-korea-trump-tillerson.html White House Corrects Tillerson on Whether U.S. Will Talk to North Korea] by Mark Landler (Dec. 13, 2017) ''The New York Times'' (archived from December 15, 2017).</ref> forcing Tillerson to correct himself.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/15/world/asia/tillerson-north-korea.html Tillerson, in Apparent U-Turn, Says North Korea Must 'Earn' Its Way to Talks] by Somini Sengupta (Dec. 15, 2017) ''The New York Times'' (archived from December 23, 2017).</ref>
*'''[[Russia]]''': Tillerson's and Trump's views on Russia are not obviously contradictory. In 2014 while speaking to ExxonMobil shareholders, Tillerson opposed sanctions against Russia in principle, alleging that sanctions are ineffective because they're hard to implement comprehensively.<ref>[https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2016/12/06/exxon-ceo-tillerson-secretary-of-state.html How Exxon CEO Tillerson feels about sanctions (and other Secretary-related matters)] by Jon Prior (Dec 6, 2016, 2:36pm CST Updated Dec 6, 2016, 12:51pm) ''Dallas Business Journal''.</ref> But what Tillerson was actually saying to shareholders was that they would lose money from sanctions because ExxonMobil had just inked huge business deals with Russia starting in 2012.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-exxon-rosneft/exxon-rosneft-unveil-500-billion-offshore-venture-idUSBRE83H0UE20120418 Exxon, Rosneft unveil $500 billion offshore venture] by Douglas Busvine &Vladimir Soldatkin] (April 18, 2012 / 8:24 AM) ''Reuters''.</ref> In 2017, Trump reluctantly and angrily signed into law a bill that added additional sanctions against Russia for interfering in the [[2016 U.S. presidential election]].<ref name=finnegan>[http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/timeline-trumps-delays-russia-sanctions/story?id=50733408 Timeline of Trump's delays on Russia sanctions] by Conor Finnegan (Oct 27, 2017, 12:25 PM ET) ''ABC News''.</ref> Trump claimed that the law was partly unconstitutional but then said that the administration would implement the law in full.<ref name=finnegan/> The Trump administration only released a guidance document for the law after significant goading from Congress.<ref name=finnegan/>

*'''[[Trans-Pacific Partnership]]''' (TPP): In 2013, Tillerson said that he supported the TPP.<ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-secretary-of-state-favorite-rex-tillerson-praised-tpp Trump’s Secretary of State Favorite Rex Tillerson Praised TPP. Like many members of the incoming Trump administration, Trump’s possible secretary of state pick heaped praise on TPP while it was still cool.] by Betsy Woodruff (12.12.16 11:47 AM ET) ''The Daily Beast''.</ref> Tillerson has also generally been supportive of [[free trade]],<ref>[https://www.bloomberg.com/gadfly/articles/2016-12-07/rex-tillerson-secretary-of-state-what-it-would-mean Mr. Exxon Goes to Washington (Maybe)] by Liam Denning (Dec 7, 2016 10:34 AM EST ) ''Bloomberg''.</ref> contrary to Trump's [[Xenophobia|nativism]]. On January 23, 2017, Trump withdrew from the TPP<ref>[https://www.brookings.edu/blog/unpacked/2017/03/24/trump-withdrawing-from-the-trans-pacific-partnership/ Trump's TPP withdrawal: 5 things to know] by Eric Bradner (Updated 2:52 PM ET, Mon January 23, 2017) ''CNN''.</ref> because… [[Obama]], or maybe because… Tillerson.

Perhaps frustrated at being constantly undermined by his boss, or perhaps the penny finally dropped, Tillerson reportedly got to the front of the line<ref>[https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/11/hr-mcmaster-calls-trump-idiot-dope An "Idiot" and a "Dope": McMaster Reportedly Unloads on Trump During a Private Dinner: That would make the National Security Adviser the second member of Trump's Cabinet to covertly question his intelligence.] by Tina Nguyen (November 20, 2017 6:38 pm) ''Vanity Fair''.</ref> in October 2017 and called Trump a "moron".<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/04/politics/tillerson-trump-moron/index.html Tensions escalate after Tillerson calls Trump 'moron'] by Kaitlan Collins et al. (Updated 8:07 AM ET, Thu October 5, 2017) ''CNN''.</ref>

Due to the sanctions passed under Obama and Trump, Exxon Mobile canceled whatever Tillerson-era deals they had with Russia, formally withdrawing from any attempt to drill in the Arctic like they wanted. Rex is all alone now. <ref>https://www.marketwatch.com/story/sanctions-prompt-exxon-to-exit-russian-projects-brokered-by-tillerson-2018-03-01</ref>

On March 13, 2018, Trump got tired of abusing Tillerson and gave him the ''coup de grâce'' by firing him via tweet.<ref>[https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/13/tillerson-learned-he-was-fired-from-trumps-tweet.html Rex Tillerson found out he was fired as secretary of State from President Donald Trump's tweet] by Dan Mangan (March 13, 2018) ''CNBC''.</ref> Tillerson is not known to even have a [[Twitter]] account.<ref>[http://www.trumptwitterarchive.com/allaccounts All Accounts] Trump Twitter Archive</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tillerson, Rex Wayne}}
[[Category:Authoritarianism]]
[[Category:Business]]
[[Category:Former U.S. Cabinet Members]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Trump administration]]
[[Category:Texas]]

Categories: Authoritarianism, Business, Former U.S. Cabinet Members, Living people, Trump administration, Texas