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Rex Tillerson, the CEO of
While some might argue that these ties create a conflict of interest with loyalties to their former employers and clients, there is also the potential for these connections to provide a greater understanding of a global industry that powers the world and is the primary source of revenue for major nation-states such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia.
- ExxonMobil is one of the most successful international oil companies, with its roots in Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company. Tillerson, as ExxonMobil’s CEO, could potentially bring to the State Department an unprecedented understanding of the vital role that oil plays in Russian and Chinese economic power – and thus political power in the international scene. He would also understand the business that drives the financing and economies of Middle East powers such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, and even Islamic State.
- Retired General David Petraeus, who is also rumored to be under consideration for Secretary of State has held a role with the maritime data company, Windward, which lists him under the tab “Investors and Advisors.”
Windward, an Israeli company, provides data that helps oil traders track the movement of oil tankers around the globe so they can understand the flow of oil imports and exports before official organizations, like the EIA, report it to the public. Many companies provide these kinds of data, along with proprietary analyses, to clients for commercial purposes. Windward, however, has, on prior occasions, released information regarding Iran’s floating oil storage that implied the country had violated international sanctions. If verifiable, this evidence could potentially be used to impugn Iran for violating the terms of the JCPOA and thus terminating or forcing the renegotiation of the agreement that President-elect Trump dubbed “the worst deal ever negotiated.” This is a foreign policy priority of the administration, and Petraeus’ connection indicated his beliefs run parallel.
- Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani has business ties to energy companies such as Citgo and Qatar Petroleum.
In 2007, Giuliani was a partner in a law firm that lobbied the state of Texas on behalf of Citgo, an American oil refining company that is a subsidiary of PVDSA, the national oil company of Venezuela. Venezuela is the socialist South American country that is suffering tremendous hardships despite its claim to the world’s largest known oil reserves. Giuliani’s consulting firm advised Qatar Petroleum in 2005 on security issues for a natural gas plant. Both Venezuela and Qatar have had difficult relations with the United States, but understanding these countries’ primary sources of income could provide a future Secretary of State with potentially useful leverage.
(Note: some sources have suggested that Giuliani also has business ties to
