Tillerson, defending Trump policy, contradicted by his words

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s plans to slash spending on diplomacy won’t be the only concern for lawmakers when Secretary of State Rex Tillerson appears before Congress this week to defend his department’s proposed budget. They’ll likely question him about seemingly contradictory foreign policy messages coming from the State Department and White House.

Tillerson and his agency have repeatedly appeared out of sync with Trump and the White House on critical matters, at the risk of sowing confusion among U.S. friends and foes.

Conflicting messages from Trump and Tillerson on the Qatar crisis on Friday were the latest example. Last month, Tillerson was overruled by the president after urging him to stay in the Paris climate agreement. And Tillerson’s efforts to allay NATO allies’ concerns have been repeatedly undermined by Trump.