Tillerson Rejects Media Lies and Hysteria on CNN and CBS Sunday Talk Shows

PRESS RELEASE

Tillerson Rejects Media Lies and Hysteria on CNN and CBS Sunday Talk Shows

Oct. 15, 2017 (EIRNS)—Secretary of State Rex Tillerson went on the CNN and CBS Sunday talk shows this morning, calmly refuting and ridiculing the hysteria against President Trump.

Tillerson told CBS:

"There is absolute alignment between the State Department, the other departments in the cabinet, and the President’s objectives. The President’s a very unconventional person, as we all know, in terms of how he communicates; how he likes to create action-forcing events. And so the President often takes steps to force an action when he feels things are just not moving."

Tillerson clarified the new Iran policy on CBS, that Trump had not pulled out of the nuclear deal, and is not necessarily demanding it be changed:

"But it doesn’t mean we cannot undertake negotiations to address the areas of concern, which are the ballistic missile program, the sunset provisions, ex priori provisions, and perhaps lay a second agreement down alongside of this agreement."

This is the first reference to a "second agreement" by the Administration.

CNN host Jake Tapper was fixated on Sen. Robert Corker’s claim that Trump was undermining Tillerson, and that Tillerson was privately complaining about it. "I’m not playing," Tillerson rebutted to Tapper, after Tapper asked if Tillerson had called the President "a moron."

"These are the games of Washington. These are the destructive games of this town. I’m not dignifying the question with an answer, Jake, and I’m a little surprised that you want to spend so much time on it when there are so many issues around the world."

Tapper asked what he thought about Corker saying Trump had "castrated" Tillerson. Tillerson smiled and said, "I checked, I’m fully intact."

Tillerson made a point of addressing Trump’s relations with China, just weeks before the President’s historic visit to Beijing.

"We have very, very good open channels with the Chinese. The President has a great relationship with President Xi. I have a great relationship with the state councillor [Yang Jiechi]. There is clarity around what we are attempting to do with North Korea and how we are working with China to achieve the outcome in North Korea that we all want. So there is no confusion among the people that matter."

On the issue of negotiations with the North, he said the President was in full accord to "maintain those diplomatic efforts. As I have commented to others, our diplomatic efforts will continue until the first bomb is dropped."