The back-channel oil pact with Trump ?  

I quite liked this comment on the article that seems to be getting the most attention on the murky transfer to 19% of Rosneft - The back-channel oil pact with Trump.

Interestingly, since the Trump administration started getting security briefings and Trump began his (unrecorded) phone calls to Putin and dropped sanctions against the Russian FSB security service there seems to be something of a purge going on over in Russia of cyber-security officials and Interior Ministry generals...

If there was a deal, we can assume it was contingent on Trump’s election, followed by getting rid of the sanctions against Russia. That would have led to Trump’s coy references about Russia.

If there was a deal, Page would not get a commission until sanctions are gone, of course, and maybe not even until Exxon starts drilling in the Arctic, a deal the Russians say is worth $500 billion. (Apparently, Exxon has the technology to tap the Arctic reserves and Rosneft doesn’t.) And no rush, with oil prices low.

Question: does Tillerson get part of the cut or just take his profit from Exxon. If Sessions has to rule on this, will he get something too? What about the EPA and regulations about drilling in the Arctic? The State Department surely is crucial in making all this work, thus is might be part of the plan to replace as many old-timers as possible. (Nice move with the immigration ban, to stir things up and encourage people to quit.)