Democrats countered that his 41 years at Exxon left him with a narrow worldview and built-in conflicts of interest. Democrats zeroed in especially on whether Tillerson would stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who awarded him the country’s Order of Friendship in 2013. Tillerson and Putin negotiated a $1 billion exploration project that’s been frozen since the U.S. imposed sanctions on Russia after it seized Crimea the following year. Tillerson is looking at the world through oil-coated glasses. During his confirmation hearing last month, Tillerson said he was optimistic that Trump was open to hearing his views.

Source: National Post February 01, 2017 22:34 UTC