Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Makes Statement That He 'Never Considered' Resigning (Full) | CNBC

🎥 Oct 04, 2017 📺 CNBC ⏱ 7m 👁 2542 views

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks about his position at the State Department and the department's various efforts across the globe. » Subscribe to CNBC: http://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC About CNBC: From 'Wall Street' to 'Main Street' to award winning original documentaries and Reality TV series, CNBC has you covered. Experience special sneak peeks of your favorite shows, exclusive video and more. Connect with CNBC News Online Get the latest news: http://www.cnbc.com/ Find CNBC News on Facebook: http://cnb.cx/LikeCNBC Follow CNBC News on Twitter: http://cnb.cx/FollowCNBC Follow CNBC News on...

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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."

Source: AI-verified profile updated from Rex Tillerson's recent appearances. Browse all interviews →

Transcript (12 segments)

✨ AI-enhanced transcript with speaker attribution

Rex Tillerson0:00

There were some news reports this morning that I want to address first. My commitment to the success of our president and our country is as strong as it was the day I accepted his offer to serve as Secretary of State. President Trump's America First agenda has given voice to millions who felt completely abandoned by the political status quo and who felt their interest came second to those of other countries. President Trump's foreign policy goals break the mold of what people traditionally think is achievable on behalf of our country. We're finding new ways to govern that deliver new victories. Our job is now to achieve results on behalf of America, and we are doing that.

We've created an international unity around our peaceful pressure campaign against North Korea, including influencing China to exert unprecedented economic influence on North Korea. At the Riyadh summit, the president rallied Muslim-majority nations to assume new responsibilities for stopping terrorism. NATO members are now contributing more to shared security, and our approach to South Asia, and specifically Afghanistan, means building upon our relationships with India and Pakistan to stamp out terrorism and support the Afghan government in providing security for their own people. And ISIS's fraudulent caliphate in Iraq and Syria is on the brink of being completely extinguished thanks to an aggressive new strategy led by the president. What we have accomplished, we have done as a team.

Similarly, Secretary Mnuchin has levied economic sanctions on North Korea and related entities. Countries must increasingly decide whether they will do business with North Korea or with the community of peace-loving nations. Ambassador Haley has spearheaded and achieved enormous success passing the toughest UN sanctions to date on North Korea. General Mattis and I communicate virtually every day, and we agree that there must be the highest level of coordination between diplomatic efforts and our military efforts. You can't have a stronger partner than a Secretary of Defense who embraces diplomacy, and I hope he feels he has the partner he needs at the State Department. And this is just the beginning of the list of partners and friends across the government who are all working for the American people. There's much to be done, and we're just getting started.

To address a few specifics that have been erroneously reported this morning, the vice president has never had to persuade me to remain the Secretary of State because I have never considered leaving this post. I value the friendship and the counsel of the vice president, and I admire his leadership within President Trump's administration to address the many important agendas of President Trump, both from a foreign policy perspective and a domestic objective.

Let me tell you what I've learned about this president, whom I did not know before taking this office. He loves this country. He puts Americans and America first. He's smart. He demands results wherever he goes, and he holds those around him accountable for whether they've done the job he's asked them to do. Accountability is one of the bedrock values the president and I share. While I'm new to Washington, I have learned that there are some who try to sow dissension to advance their own agenda by tearing others apart in an effort to undermine President Trump's own agenda. I do not, and I will not, operate that way, and the same applies to everyone on my team here at the State Department.

When I wake up in the morning, my first thoughts are about the safety of our citizens at home and abroad. There's no more important responsibility I carry with me than ensuring that Americans are safe. Providing for the security of the United States must be the number-one goal of our American foreign policy. President Trump and his administration will keep moving forward as one team with one mission, doing great things for the United States of America to make America great again. Thank you.

I think the most important part of the article is to reaffirm my commitment to this role that President Trump's asked me to serve, and to dispel with this notion that I have ever considered leaving. I have answered that question repeatedly. For some reason, that continues to be misreported. There's never been a consideration in my mind to leave. I serve at the appointment of the president, and I'm here for as long as the president feels I can be useful to achieving his objectives.

We'll have a recommendation for the president. We're going to give him a couple of options of how to move forward to advance the important policy towards Iran. As you've heard us say many times, the JCPOA represents only a small part of the many issues that we need to deal with when it comes to the Iranian relationship. So it is an important part of that, but it is not the only part. And I've said many times, we cannot let the Iranian relationship be defined solely by that nuclear agreement.

I'm not going to deal with petty stuff like that. I mean, this is what I don't understand about Washington. Again, you know, 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, and I'm just not going to be part of this effort to divide this administration.

I have not spoken to the president this morning. I think he's on his way to Las Vegas, is my understanding.

Yes, I believe we do. You know, I think the Pakistan relationship is extraordinarily important regionally, and as we rolled out the South Asia strategy, we spoke about it in a regional context. It is not just about Afghanistan. This is about the importance of Pakistan and Pakistan's long-term stability as well. We have concerns about the future of Pakistan's government. We want their government to be stable, we want it to be peaceful, and many of the same issues they're struggling with inside of Pakistan are our issues. So we think there is opportunity for us to strengthen that relationship. We're going to be working very hard at all levels, from the State Department to the Defense Department to our intelligence communities, as well as economic and commerce opportunities as well. So it really is a regional approach, and Pakistan is critical, I think, to the long-term stability of the region. Thank you very much.

Narrator7:30

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