Tillerson on Charlottesville: 'The president speaks for himself'
Source: Politico
By LOUIS NELSON 08/27/2017 11:14 AM EDT
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson seemingly distanced himself Sunday morning from President Donald Trump’s widely criticized responses to a deadly white supremacist rally earlier this month in Virginia, telling “Fox News Sunday” that there should be no doubt about the U.S. government’s commitment to long-held values but that “the president speaks for himself.”
Tillerson was asked Sunday about the president’s remarks in Phoenix last week, in which he defended his initial response to the white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Virginia, which included a condemnation of “hatred, bigotry and violence — on many sides.” At a press conference days later, the president said there had been “very fine people” on both sides of the violent clashes between the white supremacists and the groups gathered to protest their presence.
The president’s response to the Charlottesville rally prompted a rebuke from the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which condemned what it called the "failure at the highest political level" to "unequivocally reject and condemn" the hate groups. Tillerson said Sunday that the nation’s commitment to combating discrimination should be without question.
“We express America’s values from the State Department. We represent the American people, we represent America’s values, our commitment to freedom, our commitment to equal treatment of people the world over and that message has never changed,” Tillerson said. “I don't believe anyone doubts the American people's values or the commitment of the American government or the government’s agencies to advancing those values and defending those values.”
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/27/tillerson-trump-fox-charlottesville-gorka-242073
Tillerson: Gorka is 'completely wrong' on 'radical Islam' term
BY JULIA MANCHESTER - 08/27/17 10:16 AM EDT
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Sunday former White House aide Sebastian Gorka was "completely wrong" to criticize the president's Afghanistan speech because there was no mention of "radical Islam."
"It shows a lack of understanding of the president's broader policy when it comes to protecting Americans at home and abroad from all acts of terrorism," Tillerson told Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday."
"Terrorism has manifested itself in many types of organizations. The president has charged us to develop policies and tactics both diplomatically and militarily to attack terrorism in its many forms, wherever it exists in the world, and wherever it might present a threat to the homeland or Americans anywhere. This means that we need to develop techniques that are global in their nature." Tillerson was responding to a line from Gorka's resignation letter, in which he said, "The fact that those who drafted and approved the speech removed any mention of Radical Islam or radical Islamic terrorism proves that a crucial element of your presidential campaign has been lost."
The White House announced Gorka's departure on Friday evening, just one week after his ally, Bannon, left his post as White House chief strategist.
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http://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/348165-tillerson-gorka-is-completely-wrong-on-radical-islam-term
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