Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who was unceremoniously fired by President Donald Trump, met with the House Foreign Affairs Committee for seven hours on Tuesday. The meeting was behind closed doors, so it’s hard to say what exactly was said.
Inside Washington, however, it’s being reported that Tillerson was invited to talk specifically about President Trump’s foreign policy decision-making. Issues regarding Russia were apparently of special interest to members of the committee. While Tillerson served for only a year before President Trump canned him, he was on hand for several big developments with Russia, the EU, North Korea, Iran and others.
An anonymous aide claimed that Tillerson actually reached out to the committee and volunteered to testify. He did so after hearing that the committee was interested in speaking to him. Many of the officials currently in the Trump administration have been hesitant to speak to Congress, especially to Democrats in the House.
Tillerson has largely stayed quiet since being forced out of office. However, Tillerson did publicly state that he had to explain to President Trump that some of the actions he wanted to take were against the law. While in office, Tillerson reportedly called President Trump “a moron.”
Tillerson’s time as secretary of state drew a lot of criticism from within the State Department itself. Tillerson was known for isolating himself from career diplomats and was considered aloof. Tillerson also tried to fill roles with his own team, which lead to clashes with the White House.
Reportedly, Tillerson clashed with Trump on several policies, including withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal. Tensions between Iran and the United States have flared in recent weeks.
