About Rex Tillerson
Rex Tillerson served as U.S. Secretary of State from February 2017 to March 2018. During his tenure, he described the administration's approach to North Korea as a "peaceful pressure campaign," which he said was the same as what President Donald Trump called the "maximum pressure campaign." Tillerson stated that the re-designation of North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism in November 2017 was a step to hold the country accountable for actions including assassinations and the use of banned chemical weapons. He said the sanctions were having an effect, citing fuel shortages and reduced revenues, and expressed hope that the pressure would lead Kim Jong Un to reverse the nuclear weapons program.
Tillerson was fired by President Trump on March 13, 2018, and announced he would delegate his responsibilities to Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan to ensure a smooth transition. In his farewell address to State Department staff, he said the department had "exceeded the expectations of almost everyone" with the North Korea pressure campaign and noted accomplishments including ceasefires in Syria and the adoption of a South Asia strategy. He also said Russia must "assess carefully" its actions, warning that continuing on its current trajectory could lead to "greater isolation." In his final remarks, Tillerson told staff that Washington "can be a very mean-spirited town" but that "you don't have to choose to participate in that."
Source: AI-verified profile updated from Rex Tillerson's recent appearances.
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✨ AI-enhanced transcript with speaker attribution
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Senator0:00
We imposed US-led sanctions against Russia as a result of its conduct in Ukraine. We went to Europe and were able to get Europe to act. The United States, in my view, wanted to go even further, but we couldn't get Europe to go beyond what they were willing to do. Do you agree or disagree with that strategy for the United States to lead by showing sanctions as we did?
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Rex Tillerson0:28
Senator, sanctions are a full tool and they're an important tool in terms of deterring additional action and carrying out the State Department's diplomacy or carrying out its important role in trying to negotiate to a different course of action, to a different pathway. We need a strong deterrent in our hand. It's the old tenant of Teddy Roosevelt: walk softly and carry a big stick. Well, even in diplomacy, it is useful to have a stick that is in your hand so that whether you use it or not becomes part of that conversation.
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Senator1:06
Let me ask you: would you advise the president-elect to repeal the Obama administration's recent executive orders regarding cyber security and Russian interference in the 2016 elections?
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Rex Tillerson1:16
I think the president-elect has indicated, and if confirmed I would support that. What's really required is a comprehensive assessment of our cyber threat and cyber security policies.
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Senator1:28
There's an executive order that is now active that has sanctioned those individuals, and my question is: do you believe that executive order should be repealed by the incoming president?
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Rex Tillerson1:37
Senator, I would want to examine it in all aspects of it, in consultation not only with the president but with other inter-agencies that are going to have input on this as to their views.
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Senator1:50
Well, again, Mr. Tillerson, the executive order says that certain individuals responsible for cyber actions against the United States will be sanctioned, and you still need to examine whether that's a good idea or not. Is that correct?
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Rex Tillerson1:59
Yes, sir.
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Senator2:01
Okay. I never lobbied against the sanctions. To my knowledge, ExxonMobil never lobbied against the sanctions. ExxonMobil participated in understanding how the sanctions were going to be constructed and was asked and provided information regarding how those might impact American business interests. So again, the characterization that ExxonMobil lobbied against the sanctions is just not accurate.
Senator Kaine, in your testimony you said that you had not lobbied Congress on the issue of sanctions, and I guess we fleshed out that in your mind, calling a United States Senator to express your belief that sanctions would be ineffective is not lobbying. I would argue that's a distinction without a difference. If you are calling a United States Senator on the phone to express your belief that sanctions that would affect your company would be ineffective, that likely constitutes lobbying. And in 14 different lobbying reports between 2006 and 2014, Exxon did list lobbying on sanctions as part of its political activity.
