Tillerson diverges wildly from Trump early in confirmation hearing


Former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of state, broke notably from his boss-to-be on several key global issues early in his Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday. In his opening statement, Tillerson stated unequivocally that he did not believe Russia had a valid claim to Crimea, the Ukrainian territory it annexed in 2014. He also sympathized with NATO allies who are "right to be alarmed at a resurgent Russia" and said the reports of Russia's use of cyberattacks to interfere in the presidential election were "troubling."
Trump, for his part, has said it would be a "good thing" if the U.S. had a genial relationship with Russia and was reluctant to embrace the conclusions of U.S. intelligence that Russia was responsible for leaking information during the election. Trump has also threatened to pull the U.S. out of multinational agreements like NATO, NAFTA, and the Paris climate agreement, while Tillerson said climate change requires a "global response."
Tillerson is expected to face numerous questions about his ties to Russia, as those critical of his appointment have noted his friendliness with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his past business dealings with the country.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin on August 1, with rates ranging from 25% to 40% on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration