Secretary Rex Tillerson FULL State Dept. Farewell Address (C-SPAN)

🎥 May 01, 2018 📺 C-SPAN ⏱ 5m 👁 2387 views

Secretary Rex Tillerson delivers his farewell address at the State Department: "This can be a very mean-spirited town. But you don't have to choose to participate in that. Each of us get to choose the person we want to be, and the way we want to be treated, and the way we will treat others." https://cs.pn/2pxmQ5T

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About Rex Tillerson

Rex Tillerson served as U.S. Secretary of State from February 2017 to March 2018. During his tenure, he described the administration's approach to North Korea as a "peaceful pressure campaign," which he said was the same as what President Donald Trump called the "maximum pressure campaign." Tillerson stated that the re-designation of North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism in November 2017 was a step to hold the country accountable for actions including assassinations and the use of banned chemical weapons. He said the sanctions were having an effect, citing fuel shortages and reduced revenues, and expressed hope that the pressure would lead Kim Jong Un to reverse the nuclear weapons program. Tillerson was fired by President Trump on March 13, 2018, and announced he would delegate his responsibilities to Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan to ensure a smooth transition. In his farewell address to State Department staff, he said the department had "exceeded the expectations of almost everyone" with the North Korea pressure campaign and noted accomplishments including ceasefires in Syria and the adoption of a South Asia strategy. He also said Russia must "assess carefully" its actions, warning that continuing on its current trajectory could lead to "greater isolation." In his final remarks, Tillerson told staff that Washington "can be a very mean-spirited town" but that "you don't have to choose to participate in that."

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Transcript (5 segments)

Rex Tillerson0:19

Thank you. Well, for those of you gathered here today, I truly appreciate the opportunity to bid you a proper farewell. First, I must thank each and every one of you for the role you play in enabling the State Department to lead our foreign policy efforts and conduct the steady diplomacy that is the work of the Department on behalf of the American people. None of this is possible without your daily contributions, from the mailroom to the seventh floor and all points in between, and all of our missions abroad. Our locally employed staff, our AEFMs, eligible family members, to our ambassadors and chiefs of mission, everyone is important to the delivery of the mission of the State Department.

In preparing for the transition to the Secretary-designate, I compiled all of the policy decks that were developed by you and your colleagues that formed the basis for discussions at the National Security Council and ultimately with the President. These decks, of which I counted 13 since February 1st of 2017, provide not only the policy basis but the strategies and tactics which guide the Department's execution against those policies. I also provided the Secretary-designate recent decks which were under development to provide updates of how tactics may need to adjust to current circumstances. Because while the policies and the strategies should never change, we must constantly review how the tactics are delivering on the objectives.

The country faces many challenges, in some instances perplexing foreign affairs relationships, and in other instances serious national security threats. In these times, your continued diligence and devotion to the State Department's mission has never been more necessary. As you go about your duties, each of you carrying out your individual responsibilities as well as your collective duty, it is my hope that you will be guided by and test your actions each day against the values that we have spoken about over this past year.

First, to value the safety and security of yourselves, your loved ones, and your colleagues. Second, to maintain a commitment to accountability by first holding yourselves accountable so that you're able to hold others accountable, and that the positive environment of accountability is underpinned by honesty and integrity in all that you do. Never lose sight of your most valuable asset, the most valuable asset you possess: your personal integrity. Not one of you was gifted it; you were born with it. It belongs to you. It always has and will belong to you and you alone. Only you can relinquish it or allow it to be compromised. Once you've done so, it is very, very hard to regain it. So guard it as the most precious thing you possess.

And finally, I hope you will continue to treat each other with respect, regardless of the job title, the station in life, or your role. Everyone is important to the State Department. We're all just human beings trying to do our part. In closing, I'd like to ask that each of you undertake to ensure one act of kindness each day towards another person. This can be a very mean-spirited town, but you don't have to choose to participate in that. Each of us gets to choose the person we want to be and the way we want to be treated and the way we will treat others. God bless you all, your loved ones. God bless America.