Daniel Kramer/Reuters
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson as secretary of state, according to NBC News. The report cited two sources close to the situation as saying Tillerson had been confirmed as Trump’s pick after earlier being floated as a top choice. It was also reportedly “very likely” that Tillerson, who has no experience in government, would be paired with former U.N. ambassador John Bolton as deputy secretary of state, NBC News reported. Tillerson has strong ties to Moscow, having secured a 2011 deal with the Kremlin to access Arctic resources in Russia. That deal was blocked, however, when U.S. sanctions against Russia came into effect for its occupation of Crimea and aggression in eastern Ukraine. Tillerson was outspoken in his criticism of the sanctions for the “broad collateral damage” they resulted in.