Former secretary of state Tillerson describes Jared Kushner’s secret diplomacy
WASHINGTON (Los Angeles Times/TNS) – In a remarkable glimpse into US President Donald Trump’s unconventional way of running the White House and foreign policy, former secretary of state Rex Tillerson has described a string of secret meetings, hidden dinners and undisclosed conversations with world leaders conducted by presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner – and concealed from America’s top diplomat.
The secret diplomacy often caught Tillerson unawares as important policy issues favored by Trump and Kushner were being decided, and created a sense of chaos within the White House to observers on the outside.
Tillerson’s comments were contained in a transcript released Thursday of testimony he gave to the House Foreign Affairs Committee in May.
Trump fired Tillerson via Twitter on March 13, 2018, and replaced him with then-CIA director Michael R. Pompeo. Trump described the former Kansas lawmaker as being more on his same “wavelength.”
It has long been known that Tillerson had a prickly relationship with Trump. He frequently found himself contradicted publicly by Trump, often within minutes of making a policy statement.
But the level of dysfunction has rarely been so starkly illustrated as in Tillerson’s underoath testimony.
In one embarrassing episode, Tillerson said he didn’t even know his Mexican counterpart was in Washington until he walked into a restaurant and discovered Luis Videgaray dining with Kushner. It came during a delicate time in US-Mexican relations, when Videgaray often went around the State Department to capitalize on his friendship with Kushner.
“I walked back,” Tillerson said. “I could see the color go out of the face of the foreign secretary of Mexico.
“I smiled big, and I said: ‘Welcome to Washington.’ And I said: ‘I don’t want to interrupt what y’all are doing.’ I said: ‘Give me a call next time you’re coming to town.’ And I left it at that.”
Tillerson said the foreign minister later said he was shocked that the issues that Kushner raised with him had not already been cleared at the State Department.
A former CEO of ExxonMobil, Tillerson said then-defense secretary James N. Mattis was also often cut out of policy discussions, with former adviser Steve Bannon acting alongside Kushner.
In another meeting concealed from the secretary of state, Kushner and Bannon at a private dinner in May 2017 discussed with leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates their plans to place a blockade on neighboring Qatar.
Tillerson, surprised when Saudi Arabia and the UAE announced the blockade some time later, indicated the US would remain neutral, since Qatar is also an important ally. Barely had Tillerson spoken when Trump threw his full support behind Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The tense Persian Gulf standoff continues to this day.
Tillerson told the lawmakers that unclear lines of authority and responsibility in the White House “made it challenging for everyone.”
“When you first came on board,” Tillerson was asked, “what was Mr. Kushner’s role described to you as?”
“No one really described what he was going to be doing,” Tillerson responded.
Tillerson recalled an inchthick study Kushner had prepared outlining a complete overhaul of the US-Saudi economic, business and political relationship, with little or no input from, or knowledge of, State Department diplomats.
“It’s the president’s prerogative” to have special advisers, Tillerson testified. “But... it presents special challenges to everyone if others who are trying to effect foreign policy with a country and move the agenda forward are not fully aware of other conversations that are going on that might be causing your counter-party in that country to take certain actions or behave a certain way, and you’re not clear as to why.”