Tillerson says never considered resigning
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[October 05, 2017]
By Doina Chiacu and Yara Bayoumy
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of
State Rex Tillerson said on Wednesday he had never considered resigning
and was committed to President Donald Trump's agenda, but failed to
address whether he had referred to the president as a "moron," as NBC
reported.
The State Department later denied he had even used the word, an issue
Tillerson earlier declined to specifically address.
"The Secretary .... does not use that language to speak about anyone. He
did not say that," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said at a
briefing.
The top U.S. diplomat, whose tenure has been dogged with rumors about
unhappiness with Trump's policies and rhetoric, said he was as committed
to Trump's agenda today as he was when he accepted the offer to serve as
secretary of state.
The episode is the latest controversy to embroil Trump's administration
which has witnessed a string of high-profile departures and firings in
recent months, including his chief of staff, national security advisor
and the former FBI director.
NBC reported that in a session with Trump’s national security team and
Cabinet officials at the Pentagon, Tillerson had openly criticized the
president and referred to him as a "moron," citing three officials
familiar with the incident.
Tillerson sidestepped the issue when taking questions after making a
statement at a hastily organized news conference.
"I'm not going to deal with petty stuff like that," he said, adding,
"I'm not from this place (Washington), but the places I come from we
don't deal with that kind of petty nonsense."
Tillerson spoke after NBC reported that Vice President Mike Pence and
other top officials had intervened to persuade him not to resign this
summer as tensions rose between him and Trump.
"The vice president has never had to persuade me to remain as secretary
of state because I have never considered leaving this post," Tillerson
said.
"My commitment to the success of our president and our country is as
strong as it was the day I accepted his offer to serve as secretary of
state," Tillerson said.
Nauert said Tillerson and Trump had spoken later on Wednesday and that
it was a "good conversation". Tillerson did not offer an apology to
Trump because "one was not needed".
Tillerson, the former CEO of Exxon and former president of the Boy
Scouts, said of Trump: "He's smart. He demands results."
Trump later told reporters in Las Vegas: "I'm very honored by his
comments. It was fake news, it was a totally phony story. ... It was
made up by NBC. They just made it up. ... Total confidence in Rex. I
have total confidence."
Trump had appeared to undercut Tillerson over the weekend when the
president tweeted that he told him that he was "wasting his time" trying
to negotiate with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un over Pyongyang's
nuclear and missile programs.
Tillerson offered a vigorous defense of both the U.S. president and his
foreign policy even though the White House and State Department have at
times appeared to differ on policy.
"President Trump's foreign policy goals break the mold of what people
traditionally think is achievable on behalf of our country," Tillerson
said.
FOREIGN POLICY CONFUSION
The embarrassing episode underscored the sense of disarray that U.S.
friends and foes alike have detected in their dealings with Trump's
foreign policy apparatus and could further undermine U.S. credibility in
world affairs.
Pence, in a statement, said he never discussed with Tillerson the
prospect of the secretary of state's resignation.
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U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson waves at the 13th Annual Grand
Challenges Meeting co-hosted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
in Washington, U.S., October 4 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
In a tweet, Trump earlier urged NBC to apologize for its story, but
NBC News anchor Hallie Jackson said on air: "NBC will not be issuing
an apology to America as the president is calling for because again
... the secretary did not refute directly some of the key points" in
the story.
Several NBC journalists who reported the story also stood by their
piece, saying on MSNBC that their reporting was true.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has played down any tensions between
Trump and Tillerson over their apparent split, most recently over
North Korea.
Some administration officials have privately described Tillerson as
chafing against some of the president's pronouncements and
off-the-cuff decisions, sometimes contrary to advice from senior
advisers.
One U.S. official said the view of many within the administration
was that despite Tillerson’s denial of having contemplated
resignation, “it’s only a matter of time” before he does consider
it.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was no
reason to believe that Trump would give up his habit of publicly
contradicting Tillerson and that each time speculation on his future
would resurface.
Tillerson has often found himself at odds with the president on a
range of issues, according to current and former U.S. officials and
media reports.
He has taken a more hawkish view on Russia and tried to mediate a
dispute among key U.S. Mideast allies after four Arab nations
boycotted Qatar over its alleged extremist ties.
Tillerson also appeared to distance himself from Trump's response to
violence in Charlottesville, Virginia this summer, saying at the
time "the president speaks for himself" when asked about Trump's
values.
Senator Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican, said Tillerson was
working under difficult circumstances because some in the
administration are undermining his authority by trying to act as
secretary of state on a daily basis. He declined to name names.
Corker, who is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee,
was asked whether he supported Tillerson, and said:
"As a team, Tillerson, Mattis and (White House Chief of Staff John)
Kelly help separate us from chaos, so I absolutely support ‘em.
Absolutely."
Tillerson was confirmed by only 56-43 at his Senate confirmation
hearing in January, an unusually low confirmation for a secretary of
state.
Many members of Congress, including Republicans, strongly object to
his plans to slash the State Department and foreign aid budgets.
(Additional reporting by Susan Heavey, Matt Spetalnick, Mohammad
Zargham, Patricia Zengerle, Tim Ahmann, Steve Holland, Jeff Mason,
Jonathan Landay, David Alexander and Susan Cornwell in Washington;
Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and James
Dalgleish)
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