The visit is the second foreign trip of Tillerson’s tenure at the State Department. The State Department was represented by the acting deputy, Tom Shannon, at the president’s discussions with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. When asked about foreign policy developments, State Department officials often have referred reporters to the White House. Unlike in previous administrations, the State Department has not always made brief accounts of those conversations public. After Tillerson met with European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini this month, the State Department said nothing while Mogherini held a detailed on-the-record briefing for reporters.

Source: Washington Post February 23, 2017 01:30 UTC