The State Department is allegedly refusing to release a document related to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s interactions with the department about Russia during his time as CEO of ExxonMobil Corp.
According to a Friday report from CNN, the State Department cited a need to protect internal deliberations as the reason for withholding the communication.
The decision was made in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by CNN in December that called for any “communications between ExxonMobil CEO/Chairman Rex Tillerson and officials at the State Department relating to Russia and US policy toward Russia.”
{mosads}As a result of the request, the State Department told CNN that officials located one relevant document but decided that “it must be withheld in full.”
Trump’s appointment of Tillerson to be the U.S. top diplomat raised many eyebrows among Democrats and some independents who criticized his seemingly friendly attitude toward Russia and complete lack of government experience.
During his spell as the chief executive of ExxonMobil, Tillerson frequently worked with the Russian government on a wide range of business projects and was even awarded with a prestigious Order of Friendship by Moscow.
CNN said it has appealed the decision to withhold the information.