As Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is set to meet with his counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, American Bridge is today releasing a new report highlighting his alarmingly cozy ties to Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials. Tillerson’s meeting takes place against the backdrop of Russia meddling in the 2016 election and Russian complicity in the Assad regime’s use chemical weapons against its own citizens in Syria.
Tillerson has deep ties to Russia including well-documented relationships with Vladimir Putin, who awarded him with the Order of Friendship, and Igor Sechin, the head of the state-owned oil company Rosneft, who is also known as Putin’s right-hand man and “one of the most feared men in Russia.” As CEO of ExxonMobil, Tillerson also made millions off of deals with the Russian government and when Tillerson was nominated to be Secretary of State, Russia praised Trump’s decision.
Even before Tillerson arrived in Moscow, he was already signaling the Trump’s administration willingness to cave to Putin’s Russia by questioning why the U.S. should “care about the conflict in Ukraine.”
This new report is the latest in ongoing efforts aimed at exposing the Trump Administration’s close ties to Russian officials, oligarchs, gangsters, alleged spy-masters, and Vladimir Putin. The FBI as well as both the House and Senate Intelligence Committees are currently investigating these ties as they relate to Russian hacking of the 2016 election to tilt the results in Trump’s favor.
Secretary Rex Tillerson’s Serious Conflicts Of Interest With Putin And Russia
- September, 2005: Rex Tillerson Was Among Four American Oil Executives That Met With Vladimir Putin In Washington. [NEFT Trader, 9/23/05]
- 2008: Rex Tillerson Attended The St. Petersburg Economic Forum. [Politico, 12/10/16]
- April, 2012: Rex Tillerson Met With Vladimir Putin To Discuss Energy Projects Including Collaboration With Sechin-Run Rosneft. [ITAR-TASS, 4/16/12]
- June, 2012: Rex Tillerson Attended Vladimir Putin’s 2012 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. [ITAR-TASS, 6/21/12]
- September, 2012: Rex Tillerman Vladimir Putin, And Igor Sechin Attended The Signing Of A Contract For A Feasibility Study On Russian Oil Drilling. [Russian Oil Refining Industry, 9/7/12]
- 2013: Rex Tillerson Attended St. Petersburg International Economic Forum With Putin And Sechin. [Platts Oilgram News, 6/25/13]
- 2014: Under Tillerson, Exxon Signed An Agreement With Igor I. Sechin, Head Of Russian State Oil Company Rosneft, Weeks After The U.S. Imposed Sanctions On Sechin. [New York Times, 6/10/14]
- 2016: Igor Sechin Invited Rex Tillerson To The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum With Putin. [IT Manager, 6/16/16]
- Vladimir Putin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov: Tillerson Has “Had Contacts With Our Representatives More Than Once” And Has Fulfilled His Responsibilities In A “Highly Professional Manner.” According to the Guardian, “‘On account of his work as the head of one of the largest oil companies, he had contacts with our representatives more than once,’ President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Monday. ‘He fulfills his responsibilities in a highly professional manner.’” [The Guardian, 12/12/16]
Published: Apr 12, 2017