(Bloomberg) -- President-elect Donald Trump tapped Exxon Mobil Corp. chief Rex Tillerson to be the next U.S. secretary of state, according to statement.
The move is sure to set off a confirmation fight in the U.S. Senate, where three Republicans and several Democrats have expressed apprehension about Tillerson's close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Tillerson has accepted Trump's offer, according to a person familiar with the transition. He will reach Exxon's mandatory retirement age of 65 in March and, if confirmed, would be the first oil executive to lead the State Department.
To contact the reporter on this story: Richard Bravo in Brussels at rbravo5@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alan Crawford at acrawford6@bloomberg.net, Jones Hayden
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