Reports alleging diplomats have been told to avoid eye contact with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sure sound spooky, but it’s apparently a bunch of nonsense.
The Associated Press’s Matt Lee, who has covered the State Department for nearly two decades, personally vouched this week that the Tillerson story is bunk.
The story “is not true and people repeating it are making it more difficult to address very real issues,” he said this week on social media.
“I was told of this allegation – weeks ago – and checked it out,” he added. “There are a lot of issues to deal with, but ‘eye contact’ is not one of them as attention-getting as it may be.”
His remarks came after the Washington Post published a story this week claiming diplomats have reportedly been instructed to treat Tillerson like Medusa.
“Most of his interactions are with an insular circle of political aides who are new to the State Department. Many career diplomats say they still have not met him, and some have been instructed not to speak to him directly — or even make eye contact,” the article read.
That supposed tidbit of information was soon repeated in competing newsrooms, including the Hill, New York magazine and the New York Daily News.
Lee says it’s all nonsense.
“Not disputing the entire [Washington Post] story. There are issues. But ‘no eye contact’ is not one of them,” he said. “It’s compelling gossip. I have looked him in the eyes and not turned to stone. At least not yet …”
Tillerson and his team have come under increased media scrutiny in recent weeks following his decision go do a tour of Asia with only one reporter. That reporter, IJ Review’s Erin McPike, came from an outlet that has traditionally been extremely chummy with the GOP.
