Trump aide: State Dept. front-runner isn’t ‘pounding down vodka’ with Putin

A top aide to Donald Trump is rejecting criticism that the likely choice to be secretary of State is too cozy with Vladimir Putin, saying Rex Tillerson isn’t “pounding down vodka” with the Russian president. 

“Secretary of State is the fourth-highest ranking individual in our government, a very important decision,” Kellyanne Conway, who managed Trump’s campaign, said on ABC’s “Good Morning America” Monday. “A leading candidate, Rex Tillerson of Exxon, has dealt with Russia for many years.

{mosads}“It’s not like he’s pounding down vodka with Vladimir Putin at the local bar, but he’s dealt with him in a business context,” Conway added.  

Tillerson, the CEO of Exxon Mobil, has repeatedly done business with Russia, building a close relationship with Putin and his government.

Conway said that “we should all welcome” the possibility that Tillerson, or whomever Trump chooses, will “improve relationships and advance U.S. interests and advance the Trump doctrine.” 

She added that those senators skeptical of Tillerson’s past work in Russia would eventually confirm him should he be nominated.

“I know that Sens. [John] McCain [R-Ariz.] and [Marco] Rubio [R-Fla.] will ultimately see Mr. Tillerson as somebody who’s advancing U.S. interests, which of course they share,” she said. “At the same time, that’s what confirmation hearings are for.

“It’s incredibly impressive that Rex Tillerson has been at Exxon 41 years, employs 70,000 people, [and] is in charge of a $320 billion global operation that frankly, is in 50 countries, including Russia, Yemen, China, the developing world and certainly the Middle East.”

Tillerson is reportedly Trump’s first choice to lead the State Department.

Critics worry Tillerson’s past business ties with Putin may unfairly influence Trump’s policies toward Russia.

Democrats would need only three GOP senators to cross the aisle to block Tillerson’s nomination.