July 30, 2017

The Exxon-Treasury Fight and the Roots of Russiagate

Putin and Exxon Have Aimed Relentlessly At Ending U.S. Sanctions, But Scandal and Congress Have Now Tied Trump’s Hands This article was co-written with Kert Davies. When the Treasury Department announced on July 20 that it had fined ExxonMobil $2 million for violations of U.S. sanctions against Russia, there were multiple ways to view the dispute.
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February 20, 2017

Trump, Putin, Exxon: What Is Russiagate Really About?

This article was co-written with Kert Davies. Any analysis of Russiagate, and the fateful phone calls between Michael Flynn and Russia’s ambassador to the United States, must address the critical fact that U.S. sanctions on Russia are severely damaging Vladimir Putin’s economic power. In particular, these sanctions — imposed by Barack Obama, supported by Hillary
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February 2, 2017

Trump, Tillerson, Exxon: American Kleptocracy

Donald Trump won the presidency by pledging to fight for the forgotten man and woman, the people left behind by corporate globalization and Washington corruption. But it’s clear now that it was simply another false promise from a career con artist. This morning, when Trump’s Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, arrived to start work, what was
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January 31, 2017

Muslim Ban Heightens Concerns About Sessions, Tillerson

The Trump Administration’s ill-conceived, unlawful, and counterproductive Muslim ban executive order raises new concerns about the nominations of Jeff Sessions for Attorney General and Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State. With the White House under control of men who seem to lack the judgment and temperament to protect our nation’s national security — Donald Trump, Steve Bannon,
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January 12, 2017

Should America Pick A Secretary of State Who Faces Fraud Investigations?

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Among the most disturbing aspects of Rex Tillerson’s confirmation hearing — he failed to disavow the idea of “a national registry for American Muslims”; he declined to offer an opinion on whether Vladimir Putin (pictured above with Tillerson) had committed war crimes; he said he didn’t view climate change “as the imminent national security threat
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January 11, 2017

Trump Loves Putin; We Need a Secretary of State Who Doesn’t

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There are several possible explanations for Donald Trump’s frequently professed deep admiration for Russian president Vladimir Putin: his esteem for authoritarian dictators as men who get things done; his desire to embarrass President Obama by claiming Putin is a better leader; his pandering to alt-right voters who admire Putin as they pine for global white
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December 12, 2016

With Exxon CEO in Trump Spotlight, A Primer on The Company’s Climate Court Fight

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Donald Trump’s public contemplation of picking ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be U.S. Secretary of State raises a range of controversies, including Tillerson’s dealmaking with Russia and close ties to Vladimir Putin. It also intensifies attention on ExxonMobil’s escalating court battle with the attorneys general of New York and Massachusetts over the question of whether the company improperly
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