Story highlights Rudy Giuliani said Rex Tillerson will "do a good job"

Giuliani turned down two high-level Cabinet positions

(CNN) Rudy Giuliani offered his support for President-elect Donald Trump's decision to nominate Rex Tillerson as secretary of state.

"I'm okay with the choice," Giuliani told CNN's Chris Cuomo on "New Day" Tuesday.

The former New York City mayor had previously been in the running for the position but removed himself from Trump's list on November 28.

The endorsement lacked the passion that Giuliani displayed on the campaign trail, but he stood by Tillerson even when Cuomo brought up the ExxonMobil CEO's ties to Russia . He explained that that's just one aspect of Tillerson's career, and that it's not unusual for someone in the energy industry to have a relationship with Russia. He also pointed out that former secretaries of state, such as George Shultz and Henry Kissinger, had "issues" that had to be dealt with.

"He'll do a good job," Giuliani said of Tillerson. "It's hard to say who will be better as secretary of state. You'll find that out three or four years from now."

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