Tillerson out. Mike Pompeo up.
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Tillerson may have been a leak
Tillerson was out of the loop on the N.K. meeting... No leak to the M$M either - then Rex played sick and skipped a meeting - then FiredComment -
If you don't suck dickComment -
Adding to the swamp.Comment -
Tillerson a damn good man, just didn't see eye to eye on too many issues with the flaming haired dolt.....
terrible handling of the situation by trump.... no surprise there.....
lose more and more something.... can't even say "respect".... for ol "grab em by the pussy" by the day.....Comment -
When will Devos and Sessions be outComment -
Had more to do with specifically naming Russia as an assailant or source of chemicals used to poison a spy in England. An assortment that tied to mi6 conclusion.
Trump insiders wanted to hold that back as leverage on some later deal....Comment -
(CNN)US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issued a harsh condemnation of Russia following a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in the United Kingdom last week, going further than the White House's response stopping short of pinning blame for the attack on Moscow.
In a Monday morning call with United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Tillerson discussed the attempted murder of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury, according to a State Department statement.
"We have full confidence in the UK's investigation and its assessment that Russia was likely responsible for the nerve agent attack that took place in Salisbury last week," Tillerson said in the statement.
He continued, "There is never a justification for this type of attack -- the attempted murder of a private citizen on the soil of a sovereign nation -- and we are outraged that Russia appears to have again engaged in such behavior. From Ukraine to Syria -- and now the UK -- Russia continues to be an irresponsible force of instability in the world, acting with open disregard for the sovereignty of other states and the life of their citizens."
The State Department's position on the attack appears be much stronger than the White House's response.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders called the attack "reckless, indiscriminate and irresponsible," but stopped short of blaming Russia.
"We've been monitoring the incident closely, take it very seriously," Sanders said at Monday's news briefing. "The use of a highly lethal nerve agent against UK citizens on UK soil is an outrage. The attack was reckless, indiscriminate and irresponsible. We offer the fullest condemnation, and we extend our sympathy to the victims and their families, and our support to the UK government. We stand by our closest ally and the special relationship that we have."
Pressed further on whether Russia was behind the act, Sanders said, "Right now, we are standing with our UK ally."
Earlier in the day, British Prime Minister Theresa May said Russia was "highly likely" responsible for the attack.
Speaking to reporters while traveling in Africa, Tillerson said the attack "clearly came from Russia" and would "certainly trigger a response." Though it is still unclear to the State Department whether the Russian government was aware of the attack, the substance used in the attack was distinctive.
"This is a substance that is known to us and does not exist widely. It is only in the hands of a very, very limited number of parties. And I don't want to say anything further than that," Tillerson said.
Tillerson called for "appropriately serious consequences" for "both those who committed the crime and those who ordered it."
The White House did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment on whether it accepts the State Department's determination.Comment -
Will Rosneft Move Forward In The Arctic Without Exxon?
By Irina Slav - Mar 11, 2018, 12:00 PM CDT
When Vladimir Putin awarded Exxon’s then-CEO Rex Tillerson the Order of Friendship in 2012, little did either of them know that six years later they would be looking at each other from opposing corners, with Exxon planning to pull out of Russia almost completely.
It has now been made official: Exxon is dropping its Arctic joint ventures with Rosneft, for the negotiation of which Tillerson got the Order of Friendship. The move was prompted by U.S. sanctions against Russia for its annexation of Crimea and involvement in separatist movements in Ukraine. These were expanded last year on allegations of Russian involvement in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections.
The withdrawal means that Exxon will have to book an after-tax charge of US$200 million, but that’s not the main point. The company also announced losses of US$1 billion related to its withdrawal from other Russian projects as a result from the sanctions, but that’s not the point, either. The main point is that the supermajor has had to leave billions of barrels in untapped reserves that could have ensured the long-term sustainability of its main business and many more billions of dollars in revenues.
Rosneft, Exxon’s partner in the region, will also suffer similar consequences. One of the discoveries that they made jointly—one that Exxon funded—was the world’s northernmost oil field, Pobeda (Victory). The field has been estimated to contain around 952 million technically recoverable barrels of oil, or 130 million tons, although this was an early estimate made in 2014—the actual recoverable reserves could be much higher.
Related: 44 Things You Didn’t Know About Oil
In a way, it was an ill-timed discovery. The only exploration well at the Pobeda field was drilled in 2014, just as the European Union slapped sanctions on Russia for Crimea and Ukraine. The U.S. did, too, and Exxon had to freeze its Arctic operations.
Truth be told, given the severe weather conditions in the Kara Sea where the Pobeda field is located, which make it possible to drill within a very small window of about two months every year, the project could have been rendered uneconomical early on in the price crisis. On the other hand, Rosneft and Exxon may have persevered for the sake of ensuring long-term production.
It is a moot point now, however, and we may never know the viability of the project; work on the field has been suspended since 2014 because Rosneft could not tackle the technological challenges around offshore Arctic drilling without Exxon. In 2015, the company said it planned to resume drilling there this year, and earlier this month it said it was moving ahead with the development of Pobeda on its own.
Related: China Plans Record Natural Gas, Coal Production In 2018
Russia’s RIA Novosti noted, however, that this might prove difficult, and not because of the lack of adequate drilling equipment—that could be made at home or ordered from China. It’s more because of the departure of Exxon’s specialists that Rosneft is very likely to find it difficult to forge ahead on its own.
The situation may look grim today, but chances are both Exxon and Rosneft will weather it just fine. Both have been preparing for the withdrawal, exploring for oil elsewhere in more friendly climates, including political ones.
Rosneft is active in eastern Siberia while Exxon has been announcing discovery after discovery from its offshore licenses in Guyana. In other words, while Exxon’s pullout from its ventures with Rosneft is undoubtedly bad news for both companies, it is most certainly not the end of the world for either of them.
By Irina Slav for Oilprice.comComment -
duplicate deletedComment -
If you aren't on board 100%, time to get out of the way. No time to waste. Its nothing personal. Trump is keeping his promises to the American people. Fake news and fake new junkies will spin the shit out of this as per usual. Watch.
Off to see the Wall.
MAGA!Comment -
Great move
Trump keeps winningComment -
Chaos constantly in this joke of an administration. Modern day Titanic.Comment -
Fake news narrative. This president is keeping his promises he made in the campaign like no other in history. Those who aren't aboard teh Trump Train need to get out of the way so that those who are can come aboard. That is smart. That is accountability. That is what a great president should do. Trump has the balls to do it.
You are addicted to losing so you can't possibly understand. Its not your fault. Decades of Washington incompetence has done this. The people have awoken.
MAGA!Comment -
“We will hire the best people”
Lmao. They are all indicted or fired.
A total joke of a president and administration.....embarrassment to the world.Comment -
Honest question... Would you want to work for Trump?Comment -
So Douchebag Don used a tweet to fire Tillerson. Only a gutless coward would stoop that low to fire a man of integrity...Comment -
getting all ducks in a row, intel everywhere, taking over "dem party", get readyComment -
At some point the person responsible for hiring all of the people that have been jettisoned from the Trump cabinet needs to bite the bullet and step down. His judgement is beyond shitty.Comment -
Javanka will be the only originals left....by the time he's impeached.
My brain is fried at the moment. Who else is still left from the start?
- McMaster, but he's gone soon.
- Sessions is gone when he can figure out how to do it
- DeVos
- Dr. Ben
Who else is left? Especially in the White House?Comment
Prisons and Schools will be their claim to fame, A billionaires wet dream.
