Secretary of State

Trump pick Tillerson: 'Fair assumption' Putin behind hacks

The former CEO of Exxon Mobil told his Senate confirmation hearing the intelligence report on Russian tampering "clearly is troubling".

His comments came after Senator Marco Rubio pressed Mr Tillerson to admit Mr Putin's role in the cyber-breach.

Mr Tillerson's reported good ties with Mr Putin have alarmed some in the US.

The 64-year-old former corporate titan, who has never worked in government, faced tough questions from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday.

Trump election: Mitt Romney considered for secretary of state

The statement, in a Fox News interview, comes after President-elect Donald Trump met Mr Romney, a Republican who criticised him during the campaign.

There has been speculation that the post of top diplomat was discussed.

Neither man gave details of their meeting on Saturday. Mr Romney said talks had been "far-reaching".

Mr Romney, who ran an unsuccessful campaign against Barack Obama in 2012, met Mr Trump at the president-elect's golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey.