Tillerson refuses to use budget-money allocated to counter propaganda and misinformation.

[DetlefK]

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/02/tillerson-isis-russia-propaganda-241218

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is resisting the pleas of State Department officials to spend nearly $80 million allocated by Congress for fighting terrorist propaganda and Russian disinformation.

...

The $60 million will expire on Sept. 30 if not transferred to State by then, current and former State Department officials told POLITICO.

...

former U.S. officials call it the latest example of a severe slowdown in department decision-making; of Tillerson’s reliance on a coterie of political aides who distrust State’s career staffers; and a casualty of President Donald Trump’s intention to slash State's budget, which has Tillerson looking for ways to reshape the department and spend less money, not more.

Sources cited another sensitive factor at play: Russia. One Tillerson aide, R.C. Hammond, suggested the money is unwelcome because any extra funding for programs to counter Russian media influence would anger Moscow, according to a former senior State Department official.

...

But they quickly found themselves mired in a new, confusing and bottlenecked decision-making process imposed by Tillerson's top aides. For example, officials involved with the center first put in their request in an "action memo," the standard document sent to the secretary of state when a decision is required. Tillerson's aides retorted that he "didn't like being told what to do," the former senior State official said, and ordered that the request be refashioned as an "information memo."

...

Hammond further expressed hesitation about needling the Russians at a time when Tillerson was trying to find common ground with the Kremlin on sensitive matters such as the war in Syria. The Kremlin-backed news outlet Sputnik has compared the Global Engagement Center to George Orwell’s Ministry of Truth.

"Hammond said the secretary is in the process of working through disagreements with Russia, and this is not consistent with what we're trying to do," the former senior State official said.




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- "Boss! We need your decision!"
- "Don't pressure me! You don't tell me what to do!"

[gademocrat7]

1. Tillerson needs to resign.

[bronxiteforever]

2. People need to see this. Amateur hour in Dept of State.

Tillerson is a fraud like his boss. What an embarrassment.

[MelissaB]

3. K&R!

This needs to make it to the Greatest.

[MelissaB]

4. K&R!

This needs to make it to the Greatest.

Link to tweet