Tillerson Stays Close to Trump, But the State Department Seems to be Benched by Anne Gearan and Carol Morello - Washington Post
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s close relationship with President Trump was on display during Trump’s formal sit-down with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month in Germany. He was the only other U.S. official present, apart from a translator, for the most anticipated diplomatic meeting of the new administration, held as Trump and Putin were attending the Group of 20 summit.
The picture was one of a trusted envoy at the center of the action. Back in Washington, however, the State Department that Tillerson leads is adrift.
Trump is his administration’s loudest and most-watched voice on foreign policy and has consolidated decision-making among a small group of trusted aides and family members at the White House.
Tillerson meets with the president most days the two are in Washington and takes calls from him at all hours on his mobile phone. But diplomacy, or at least the kind the State Department traditionally conducts, has seemed a low priority for a president who is openly skeptical of international entanglements.
There were early signs that the State Department would be benched…