White House spokesmen did not immediately comment. Asked during a Thursday morning meeting with the crown prince of Bahrain, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, whether he wants Tillerson to remain as secretary of state, Trump told reporters, “He’s here. The secretary of state has alienated both one-time allies at the White House and his underlings at the State Department with what many call a highhanded and tone-deaf manner. Tillerson accompanied Trump on part of his Asian trip earlier this month, and the pair gave no obvious sign of estrangement. Cotton was the central congressional figure in the White House plan, unveiled last month, to back away from the Iran nuclear deal and throw the question of U.S. participation in the international agreement to Congress.

Source: National Post November 30, 2017 16:30 UTC