Trump camp: Tillerson has said ‘no’ to Putin before

President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team is stressing that ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, Trump’s pick for secretary of State, has told Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘no’ in the past.

“What I’m defending is the fact that president-elect Trump is putting in a secretary of State who’s going to stand up and represent us well on the international stage,” Trump’s spokesman, Jason Miller, told CNN’s “New Day.” “Rex Tillerson is someone who’s stood up and told Vladimir Putin ‘no.’”

Trump announced in a statement early Tuesday that Tillerson is his choice to head the State Department.

{mosads}Tillerson has already faced skepticism from members of Congress over his ties with Russia through his business dealings.

But Miller maintained that Tillerson is going to promote “a stable geopolitical climate.” 

“He’s going to find where we can work with other countries to defeat radical Islamic terrorism and ISIS,” he said. “He’s someone who understands the importance of a stable geopolitical climate where we can go and help grow economies and look out for human safety.”

Miller pointed out that Tillerson, through his role at ExxonMobil, already has relationships with the finance ministers.

“But in many cases the business leaders, the people who Rex Tillerson has been dealing with, have been the same,” he added, noting that regimes throughout the world may change.