Rex Tillerson should quit now (Opinion)
CNNEditor’s Note: Julian Zelizer is a history and public affairs professor at Princeton University and the author of “The Fierce Urgency of Now: Lyndon Johnson, Congress, and the Battle for the Great Society.” He’s also the co-host of the “Politics & Polls” podcast. Story highlights Julian Zelizer: Secretary of state can exert significant influence in only one way Resign on principle, explain Trump White House must change course, he says CNN — If Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is unhappy with the way that President Donald Trump is conducting his White House, he should resign, and he should do so soon and in a very public way. In what some have compared to a hostage video, the secretary had to take questions on camera this week after stories emerged on NBC that he had seriously considered resigning in July and had called the President a “moron.” It might be true, as Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker told the press, that Tillerson is one of the few people protecting the United States from total chaos. More important, Tillerson’s resignation could finally motivate congressional Republicans to be more forceful in pushing back through legislation, as they did with the sanctions bill that tied the hands of Trump, through oversight and investigation or possibly challenging the President’s competence through the 25th Amendment should the situation reach that point. Of course, he won.” Rather than allowing the President to use him to pretend there is any serious interest in diplomacy within this White House, Tillerson, if he is interested in having an impact on foreign policy, should consider stepping down and then making it clear on the cable news shows that Trump so eagerly watches why he feels this kind of presidency can’t continue for much longer.
History of this topic
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