Mike Pence and Rex Tillerson are now at war with each other
Even as the “moron-gate” feud between Donald Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson continues to explode, the scandal has expanded to engulf other key members of the Trump regime. In fact, based on the latest reporting, Tillerson and Vice President Mike Pence are now essentially at war with each other, due to yet another instance of someone having a big mouth.
Back when Tillerson had his blow-up about Trump and called him a “moron” in June, it was reportedly Pence who talked him out of resigning. But in the time since, Tillerson’s spokesman went on to tell a story about Pence having asked Tillerson whether UN Ambassador Nikki Haley was of value, according to an NBC News report (link). Pence insists that conversation never happened, and so now he can Tillerson are at odds with each other – and it seems clear someone is getting ousted over it.
It appears Tillerson may be setting up his spokesman, R.C. Hammond, to take the fall for his feud with Pence. So if Tillerson doesn’t end up announcing his resignation in tomorrow’s Friday afternoon news dump, we might see Hammond’s resignation instead. But even that would be a temporary measure that might not keep Tillerson on the job for more than a brief time, considering how quickly this is all imploding.
According to that same NBC News report, Donald Trump didn’t know about the “moron” comment until he read about it in the media, which is part of why he publicly lambasted it on Twitter as being “fake news” before learning that it really did happen. Trump then summoned Rex Tillerson to the White House, and it’s clear how that showdown went, though Tillerson was seen groveling in a press conference. But with Mike Pence now having turned against Tillerson, it appears Tillerson’s only remaining ally in the Trump administration is his friend Vladimir Putin.
