More talk of Tillerson quitting
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is back in the press today with a feature story in the New York Times on the disarray at the State Department. They spoke to more than a dozen sources in the department.
A couple highlights:
"The assumption among many that I spoke to in Foggy Bottom (outside Tillerson's closest advisers) was that his departure was now a question of when, not if. Some believed that the only holdup was that Trump had not yet decided on Tillerson's replacement, with Haley and the C.I.A. director, Mike Pompeo, being the most frequently mentioned candidates. Others speculated that Tillerson had asked to delay his exit until he'd been in his position for a year, in order to avoid a huge capital-gains tax hit on the stocks he had to divest from in order to take the job."
On his relationships with Trump:
"After spending 90 minutes tutoring Trump - including,according to NBC, about why the tenfold increase in nuclear weapons Trump desired would be a bad idea - that Tillerson reportedly called the president a "moron." It may well be the harshest criticism Tillerson has directed at his boss, but it's far from the only one. According to a former administration official, in private conversations with aides and friends, Tillerson refers to Trump, in his Texas deadpan, as the dealmaker in chief. And in meetings with Trump, according to people who have attended them, he increasingly rolls his eyes at the president's remarks. If Trump disagrees with Tillerson, the official said, his secretary of state will say, "It's your deal."
Read the full story.
Trump is meeting with a politician who knows all about drama today -- Greek Prime Minister Nicolas Tsipras. They will host a press conference later.
