Senate Fight Looms after Trump Taps Exxon CEO as Top US Diplomat

The Exxon chief executive potentially faces difficulties getting confirmed in the Republican-controlled Senate. Some lawmakers worry about his alleged links to Moscow and opposition to US sanctions on Russia, which awarded him a friendship medal in 2013.

But several Republican establishment figures, including former Secretaries of State James Baker and Condoleezza Rice, and former Defense Secretary Robert Gates vouched for Tillerson, 64, who has spent more than 40 years at the oil company.

Rice and Gates, who have worked for Exxon as consultants, both issued statements of support on Tuesday.

Their backing could be crucial for Tillerson receiving the approval he needs in the Senate, where Republicans will have a slim majority when Trump takes office on Jan 20.

"The fact that Condi Rice, James Baker and Bob Gates are recommending Tillerson carries considerable weight," said Republican Senator Jeff Flake, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

By choosing Tillerson, Trump adds another person to his Cabinet and circle of advisers who may favor a soft line toward Moscow, which is under US sanctions.

Republican foreign policy hawks in the Senate like John McCain and Lindsey Graham are likely to give Tillerson a rough time at a confirmation hearing in early January.

"It's very well known that he has a very close relationship with (Russian President) Vladimir Putin," said McCain, the Republican party's 2008 nominee for president.

Republicans will have a majority of just 52-48 in the Senate, and only a few defections from their ranks would block Tillerson if every Democrat also opposed him.

Trump, on a victory tour of states that backed him in the November election, told supporters in West Allis, Wisconsin, that Tillerson "will be a fierce advocate for American interests around the world." He called him "a strong man, a tough man."

Trump upset US allies during his campaign by calling for a better relationship with Russia and questioning the usefulness of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the US-led military bloc created after World War Two to counter the Soviet Union.

Trump has also pledged to confront China on trade and territorial issues.

Tillerson has foreign experience from years of cutting deals with foreign countries for his company, the world's largest energy firm. In 2012, Tillerson signed a deal with Russian state oil giant Rosneft to jointly develop oil fields in western Siberia.

He has been chief executive of Exxon Mobil since 2006 but like Trump he has never held public office.

Tillerson said in a statement that he shared the president-elect's "vision for restoring the credibility of the United States."

Exxon Mobil said its board would meet soon regarding its transition.