WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Disputing a report from NBC News, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson claimed Wednesday that he has never considered resigning his position.
'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 in remarks Wednesday from the State Department.
The comments come after a report from NBC News suggested Tillerson threatened to resign over the summer after President Donald Trump delivered a politicized speech to the Boy Scouts of America.
Citing four people with direct knowledge of the exchanges, NBC News said Tillerson was initially reassured by discussions with John Kelly, who would later be named Trump's second chief of staff, and Defense Secretary James Mattis.
An official told NBC News that Tillerson was also given a 'pep talk' by Vice President Mike Pence after his return to Washington.
The report from NBC News also claimed Tillerson referred to Trump as a 'moron,' although the Secretary of State did not directly address the claim in his remarks.
'I'm not going to deal with petty stuff like that,' Tillerson said. 'I mean, this is what I don't understand about Washington. Again, I'm not from this place, but the places I come from, we don't deal with that kind of petty nonsense.'
'And it is intended to do nothing but divide people,' he added. 'And I'm just not going to be part of this effort to divide this administration.'
Tillerson reaffirmed his commitment to Trump and argued the president's foreign policy goals break the mold of what people traditionally think is achievable by the U.S.
'We're finding new ways to govern that deliver new victories,' the Secretary of State said. 'Our job is now to achieve results on behalf of America, and we are doing that.'
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