Tillerson Pushes Back on Rumors, Says Never Considered Resigning

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is pushing back at reports he is on the verge of stepping down.

"To address a few specifics -- the vice president has never had to persuade me to remain because I have never considered leaving this post," Tillerson said.

Tillerson made the statement Wednesday to State Department reporters, the same day NBC News reported the secretary was "on the verge" of resigning earlier this year, after months of tensions and reported frustration with President Donald Trump, and only remained at the urging of Vice President Mike Pence.

The NBC News report said Tillerson had called Trump a "moron" following a meeting with other top officials at the Pentagon in July.

When asked about the comment Wednesday, Tillerson said he was not going to deal with "petty" stuff, and instead praised Trump and his foreign policy goals, which he said "break the mold" of what is achievable.

President Trump also weighed in on Twitter Wednesday, saying "NBC news is #FakeNews and more dishonest than even CNN. They are a disgrace to good reporting. No wonder their news ratings are way down!

The NBC News report and Tillerson's statement comes just days after Trump appeared to undercut his top diplomat, saying Tillerson is "wasting his time" trying to negotiate with North Korea's leader.

In a series of tweets the president said: "Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done!"

Tillerson, in Beijing on Saturday, had acknowledged the United States has direct diplomatic channels through which to negotiate with Pyongyang about North Korea’s continued nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

When asked by reporters, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said this week the president has confidence in Tillerson.

The incident was the latest in reported tensions between Tillerson and Trump, despite repeated denials from State Department and White House officials.

August television interview (“Fox News Sunday”), Tillerson was asked about Trump’s much criticized response to deadly violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, following a rally by white supremacists which resulted in clashes with counterprotesters.

Trump sparked outrage by initially blaming both sides for the unrest. Lawmakers from Trump's Republican Party and many social commentators accused the president of failing to single out unacceptable racial partisans for condemnation.

The top U.S. diplomat was whether Trump's comments, which were seen as equating white-supremacist sentiments with those of far-left demonstrators, reflected the nation's values.

Tillerson said at first: "I don't believe anyone doubts the American people's values or the commitment of the American government, or the government's agencies to advancing those values and defending those values."

When TV host Chris Wallace followed up by asking specifically about Trump’s values, Tillerson replied, "The president speaks for himself," without further explanation.

A Tillerson aide later denied that the remark constituted a criticism of Trump’s values, but declined to soften the comment.

Also in August, Axios reported Trump’s frustration with Tillerson bubbled over after a recent meeting on Afghanistan.

"Rex just doesn't get it; he's totally establishment in his thinking," Trump said, according to a source quoted by Axios.

The website reported that Tillerson was at odds with Trump on several foreign policy questions, including tensions in Qatar and sanctions against Venezuela, and that administration officials were having trouble understanding why the secretary had not filled senior political jobs at the State Department.

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