7/26/2017

STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “Secretary of State Rex Tillerson flashed a grin Wednesday [7-27-17] and insisted that he is ‘not going anywhere,’ comments that came amid tussles with the White House over policy and staffing as well as questions about his future as the nation’s chief diplomat.
Mr. Tillerson told reporters at the State Department on Wednesday that he intends to stay ‘as long as the president lets me’ and described his relationship with President Donald Trump as good.
Mr. Tillerson’s relationship with the White House has faced strains. He has spent much of the past several months fighting over staffing decisions, and he and Mr. Trump have been at odds over several issues, including certifying Iran’s compliance with the nuclear deal and a simmering feud between Qatar and four Arab nations.
The former Exxon Mobil chief executive returned to work on Wednesday after two days in Texas. Ahead of his comments Wednesday, Mr. Tillerson met with Lebanon’s prime minister, Saad Hariri. He noted that he had started off the day by eating breakfast with House Speaker Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) and then discussed policy with Vice President Mike Pence.
His commitment to staying at Foggy Bottom on Wednesday came at the start of a meeting with Qatar’s foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.”

-Felicia Schwartz, “Rex Tillerson Says He Plans to Stay at State, ‘Not Going Anywhere’,” The Wall Street Journal online, July 26, 2017 07:14pm