- The Washington Times - Saturday, December 10, 2016

President-elect Donald Trump plans to name Exxon Mobile CEO Rex Tillerson as his secretary of state, according to a report from NBC News.

Mr. Trump met Saturday with Mr. Tillerson for a second time to talk about the the job of America’s top diplomat.

Mr. Tillerson, 64, has run the Texas-based oil business since 2004 and, as a result of the company’s global reach, has extensive experience with world leaders and foreign policy issues.



He also has a close business relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Recently, Mr. Tillerson emerged as a leading candidate on an expanding list of contenders for secretary of state. Other candidates included 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker and former CIA director Davide H. Petraeus.

Former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani had been vying for the job running the State Department but withdrew himself from consideration Thursday.

• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.

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