Today, while President-elect Donald Trump gave his first press conference since July, one of his Cabinet picks hoped to fly under the radar on a smaller stage, sitting before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to begin a confirmation process. Rex Tillerson, the 42-year ExxonMobil career employee and outgoing CEO, faced questions about how he would sever ties with the oil giant and serve as the next U.S. Secretary of State.
“As Trump gaslighted, once again trying to play the American public for chumps, Rex Tillerson continued to dodge questions and play dumb on his company’s record of climate denial and human rights abuses,” Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune said. “The people know who and what Tillerson is: a lifelong oil man who continues to put Exxon’s profits over Americans. His nomination is a disgrace, and he must be rejected.”
Here are some of the best and worst moments from the hearing.
8:00am: Dozens of DC residents gathered at an Exxon gas station…
8:15am: ...and marched to the Dirksen Senate Building where Tillerson’s confirmation hearing was set to begin at 9:15am.
9:58am: Rex Tillerson’s opening remarks, though over 2,100 words long, failed to mention climate change, his employer Exxon, and oil -- entirely.
10:04am: When Tillerson neglected to mention climate in his opening speech, a protester did, chanting "Senators, be brave! Protect my community! My home was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy!" and was escorted out of the room.
10:41am: Rex Tillerson claimed -- under oath -- that Exxon did no lobbying against Iran sanctions while he was Exxon’s president and CEO, despite the fact that Exxon hired lobbyists to monitor activities related to Iran in the U.S. government… and this:
11:07am: Senator Tim Kaine asked Rex Tillerson if Exxon knew about climate denial and funded its denial. Rex Tillerson flatly refused to answer.
11:08am: He did it again.
11:18am: Two more protesters raised the issue of climate change as they were escorted out of the room. One shouted, “Exxon wants to drill and burn the Arctic! That would ruin the climate and our future for our children and grandchildren. Please don't put Exxon in charge of the State Department Protect our children and grandchildren!” Another said, “Vulnerable communities are expendable. In our home state of Texas, people are resisting dated pipelines. Oil is dead and people will not stop. Senators, be brave. Stop this man. Protect the vulnerable!"
11:43am: Sierra Club executive director answered Senator Ed Markey’s hypothetical if the Sierra Club head became the next CEO of Exxon:
12:16pm: When Senator Bob Corker asked him point blank about if he accepts the science of climate change, in short, Tillerson said while greenhouse gases are rising in the atmosphere, he didn’t attribute that to the use of fossil fuels and went on to say that we have little knowledge about how the rise in greenhouse gases affects life on earth.
12:54pm: When Senator Jeff Merkley asked if Rex Tillerson opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the toxic trade deal that Congress was unable to pass thanks to years of campaigning and organizing, Tillerson said he doesn’t oppose it, contradicting Donald Trump. That’s not too surprising though, given Tillerson’s corporate ties: under Tillerson, ExxonMobil used the investor-state dispute settlement system in NAFTA -- which is also in the TPP -- to sue Canada over a policy requiring that oil companies direct offshore drilling revenues in Canada’s poorest province toward local research and development. The tribunal lawyers sided with ExxonMobil and ordered Canada to pay the oil giant $14 million in compensation for the policy. What’s not to like, from Tillerson’s perspective?
1:33pm: After hours of testimony, Sierra Club Michael Brune said what we all were thinking:
3:10pm: Rex Tillerson finally acknowledges his experience at ExxonMobil, only to hint that he’s ready to lead the State Department because it houses roughly the same number of employees as Exxon. Does that qualify him to be Secretary of State?
3:36pm: When Senator Udall asked if the U.S. should stay in the Paris Climate Agreement, Rex Tillerson got himself in hot water with President-elect Trump and other extremists and potential cabinet members like Scott Pruitt by contradicting them and saying that the U.S. should continue to have a seat at the table in the global climate agreement. Who knows, maybe we’ll see what Pruitt has to say about Tillerson’s view on the Paris agreement during his own confirmation hearing next week?
4:45pm: Rex Tillerson said that climate science isn't conclusive, proving he’s a climate denier, ready to join Trump’s climate-denying cabinet of fossil fools. Was he just getting tired and letting his true thoughts escape?
Stay tuned for more highs and lows from this process and take action now to tell your Senators to reject Rex Tillerson’s nomination once and for all!