Let’s do a little thought experiment.
Hillary Clinton is elected US President.
Clinton – who, thanks to the GOP and Trump’s “lock her up” campaign has become a criminal in the eyes of large swaths of the electorate – loses the popular vote.
Intelligence sources indicate Russia tipped the balance in Clinton’s favor by hacking into the RNC. Everyone in Congress – so that’s Democrats and Republicans – trusts in the veracity of the intelligence community’s assessment.
Not only does Clinton essentially accuse the US intelligence community of lying, she heaps praise on the Russian President, calls him “very smart”, and then, to add insult to injury, she names as Secretary of State an oil baron with strong ties to the Kremlin.
Had that scenario played out, the impassioned Right would have lost its collective mind.
Now imagine the new Secretary of State gets a $180 million “retirement” package from the oil major he runs. The Right would have lost its mind again.
Well the above is not fiction, it’s reality. Only it’s Donald Trump running the show.
On Wednesday we learned that the nation’s soon to be top diplomat is cutting ties with Exxon and walking away with a cool $180 million. Here’s more from WSJ:
Exxon Mobil Corp. has awarded former Chief Executive Rex Tillerson a $180 million retirement package as the company moves to break financial ties with President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state.
If Mr. Tillerson is confirmed, Exxon will transfer the equivalent value of two million unvested shares that he was set to receive at his previously expected retirement in March into a trust, according to the company.
The decision will allow Mr. Tillerson to sell off all of his remaining shares in the company, a step he has committed to make if he is confirmed, according to Exxon. Currently, he holds more than 600,000 vested shares worth about $54 million. The deal amounts to about $7 million less than the compensation package that he would have received if he hadn’t been tapped for the post.
But don’t worry, Tillerson will have to cash the shares out over a 10-year period and should he return to the O&G industry at any time during that 10 years, whatever shares haven’t been sold will apparently be liquidated and the proceeds given to charity. Awwe, that’s nice.
The Journal continues (note the bolded passage):
By allowing Mr. Tillerson to fully divest himself of his company holdings, Exxon may alleviate concerns that he could personally benefit from State Department actions that help his former company. But the decision may open Exxon to criticism that it is granting Mr. Tillerson millions of dollars just as he is poised to take a post in which he could have influence over the company’s business success.
Ok, so what do you think the over/under is on “number of radical Right-wing websites who will expose this for the farce that it is“?
Wake up America, you’re now entering Trumplandia.
The Hits just keep on coming. Shame or even a small respect for the voting public has left the building. As the FIRST thing the very popular(9%) House of The People’s business attempts, is to gut whatever small oversight that encumbers them. Hey, Rex pretty good retirement gig and the comp’s aren’t too bad either.