President-elect Donald Trump is expected to announce early next week the man he has chosen as his secretary of state, who is a leader with close ties to Russia. ExxonMobil chief executive Rex Tillerson, 64, will be given the job even as Republicans raise concern over his closeness with Russia President Vladimir Putin.
Tillerson's selection is in line with other choices made by Trump for his Cabinet — wealthy businessmen and women with no policy-making experience.
Tillerson has, however, dealt with Middle East and Russian leaders among others from six continents and almost seventy countries.
In an interview with NBC, which will be aired on Sunday, Trump praised Tillerson, according to Washington Post.
"He's much more than a business executive; he's a world-class player," Trump said. "He knows many of the players, and he knows them well. He does massive deals in Russia — for the company, not for himself."
Republican Senators John McCain (Ariz.) and Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) have raised concerns over the selection of the highest diplomat in the US.
McCain told Fox News on Saturday that Tillerson's relationship with Putin "is a matter of concern to me."
"You want to give the president of the United States the benefit of the doubt because the people have spoken," McCain said. "But Vladimir Putin is a thug, a bully and a murderer, and anybody else who describes him as anything else is lying."
Tillerson, who's had dealings with Russia since1990s, was awarded the Order of Friendship by Kremlin in 2013.
"I don't know the man much at all, but let's put it this way: If you received an award from the Kremlin, [an] Order of Friendship, then we're gonna have some talkin'," Graham said. "We'll have some questions. I don't want to prejudge the guy, but that's a bit unnerving."
For deputy secretary of state Trump is expected to nominate John R. Bolton, a former ambassador to the United Nations, who had served in the George W. Bush administration.
The CIA recently revealed that Russia had intervened in the US elections 2016 to help Trump win, which was not confirmed by the FBI. Trump mocked the CIA report on Saturday.
Others who were being considered for secretary of state position were Mitt Romney, New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
