Barbara Lee message on Rex Tillerson

Congresswoman Barbara Lee: “Trump’s Misguided Secretary of State Selection Jeopardizes National Security”

Oakland, CA – Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement regarding President-elect Trump’s decision to nominate ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State:

“I am deeply troubled by Donald Trump’s decision to nominate ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to serve as our nation’s chief diplomat. The Secretary of State represents America’s interests across the globe and advocates for diplomatic solutions to the most pressing challenges facing our nation and the world. America’s consistent international presence helps ensure peace and global stability. Donald Trump’s irresponsible selection of someone with no foreign policy experience for this post is unconscionable and dangerous.

“Even more concerning are Rex Tillerson’s direct connections to Russia. Tillerson has a long track record of advocating for Russian interests. ExxonMobil has billions of dollars in business partnerships with state-owned Russian companies that create clear and disqualifying conflicts of interest for this nomination. Tillerson has even received an award from Vladimir Putin himself.

“One of the greatest challenges any Secretary of State will face is addressing the crisis of climate change. Nominating the CEO of ExxonMobil for this role reinforces Donald Trump’s dangerous disregard for our planet and its inhabitants.

“The United States is a diplomatic leader on the world stage. We cannot allow the president-elect to tarnish that time-honored reputation in order to serve special interests, big oil and billionaires. The nomination of Rex Tillerson further confirms our greatest fears — that the president-elect remains out of touch with the needs of our nation and the gravity of our role on the global stage.”

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Congresswoman Lee is a member of the Appropriations and Budget Committees, the Steering and Policy Committee, is a Senior Democratic Whip, former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and co-chair of the Progressive Caucus. She serves as chair of the Democrat Whip Task Force on Poverty, Income Inequality and Opportunity. Congresswoman Lee is a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations (SFOPs) and Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Peace and Security Task Force.