When Rex Tillerson was appointed Secretary of State in late 2016, there were howls of indignation from the “resistance” accusing Trump of adding yet another pro-Russian to his closest circle: after all, why else would Tillerson have been awarded the 2013 Russian Order of Friendship award, if not to further promote the Russian agenda, or so the thinking went. The WaPo even penned “What is the Russian Order of Friendship, and why does Rex Tillerson have one?“
So it may be awkward to explain to the public why (and how) Tillerson himself is about to become the latest honorary member of the “resistance.”
Meanwhile, a just as relevant question is how Russia feels regarding the appointment of Tillerson’s replacement: former CIA chief Mike Pompeo. According to the Moscow Times, Russian senators have expressed cautious optimism over Donald Trump’s announcement of Mike Pompeo as the new U.S. Secretary of State.
“Russia will cooperate with those who are appointed to this or another post in the Trump administration,” the state-run RIA Novosti news agency cited senior Federation Council senator Yevgeny Serebrennikov as saying Tuesday.
Throwing some shade at failed attempts at detente between Putin and Trump, Serebrennikov addded that “we pursued and are pursuing a course to reduce tensions in relations between our countries, but our partners do not see this aspiration.”
The Federation Council’s International Affairs Committee deputy chairman Vladimir Dzhabarov said that Pompeo “may have the chance to become a man who will stop our relations from dropping rock-bottom,” the RBC business portal reported.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova reacted to the news with an ironic “have they started blaming Russia for Washington’s staff reshuffles yet?” question in remarks to Interfax.
Elsewhere, across the Atlantic (and Pacific), Senator Chuck Schumer tweeted that he hoped “that Mr. Pompeo will turn over a new leaf and will start toughening up our policies towards Russia and Putin.”
Because if there is one thing the military-industrial complex US economy desperately needs, is even more conflict with Russia…
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