Rex Tillerson Refuses to Say He Did Not Call Donald Trump a ‘Moron’
Reaffirms His Commitment to Trump and Blasts News Reports He Almost Resigned This Summer
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a surprise announcement late Wednesday morning reaffirmed his commitment to President Donald Trump amid a report he almost resigned this summer. That report also claimed he called the president a “moron.”
Tillerson in his statement embraced the president and his policies, even stating Trump loves America. He said Trump is “smart” and wants to “make American great again.”
But asked by a reporter if the NBC News report was correct and if he did call the president a “moron,” Tillerson refused to deny it, saying, “I’m not going to deal with petty stuff like that.”
Reporter asks Tillerson: “Can you address the main headline of the story? That you called the president a moron…” pic.twitter.com/Wk2yjHGOYz
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) October 4, 2017
He also said “there has never been a consideration in my mind” to resign.
NBC News reported early Wednesday the Secretary of State “was on the verge of resigning this past summer amid mounting policy disputes and clashes with the White House, according to multiple senior administration officials who were aware of the situation at the time.”
Tillerson reportedly almost resigned after President Trump’s horrific politicization of a speech he gave to the Boy Scouts.
“Just days earlier, Tillerson had openly disparaged the president, referring to him as a ‘moron,’ after a July 20 meeting at the Pentagon with members of Trump’s national security team and Cabinet officials, according to three officials familiar with the incident,” NBC News had added.
Wednesday morning, Tillerson vowed he would not resign.
UPDATE:
NBC/MSNBC reporters:
Just now, @SRuhle: “My source didn’t just say he called him a moron. He said he called him an f-ing moron.”
— Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianNBC) October 4, 2017
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