WASHINGTON (AP) – A top adviser to Donald Trump says the president-elect “hit it off” with his choice for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson.
Reince Priebus said Tuesday that the president-elect chose Tillerson in part because the ExxonMobil CEO is a diplomat who “happens to be able to drill oil.”
The Republican National Committee chairman said, “Tillerson had to maintain relationships across the world in many places that aren’t the easiest places to have relationships, during many different (presidential) administrations.”
Some Republicans and Democrats said they have concerns about Tillerson’s longtime business ties to Russia, raising questions about whether he could win Senate confirmation. The subject is likely to come up during Tillerson’s Senate confirmation proceedings.
The real estate mogul said in a predawn statement that Tillerson is “among the most accomplished business leaders and international deal makers in the world.”
Trump added that Tillerson’s career is “the embodiment of the American dream.”
