Trump Again Rages at NBC News, Calls for Senate Investigation

The war continues for a second day

Donald Trump
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President Donald Trump continued to simmer over an NBC News report that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called him a “moron” and that Vice President Mike Pence had to stage an intervention to keep him from resigning.

The exclusive from NBC News was still annoying Trump enough on Thursday that he devoted a pair of tweets bashing the “fake news” — and once again called out the network by name. He also suggested a Senate investigation into the matter.

“Why Isn’t the Senate Intel Committee looking into the Fake News Networks in OUR country to see why so much of our news is just made up-FAKE!” said Trump. “Rex Tillerson never threatened to resign. This is Fake News put out by @NBCNews. Low news and reporting standards. No verification from me.”

On Wednesday, shortly after the news dropped, Tillerson held an awkward press conference at the State Department in which he refuted claims that he considered resigning and blasted the press for focusing on “petty” things.

“To address a few specifics that have been erroneously reported this morning, the vice president has never had to persuade me to remain as Secretary of State, because I have never considered leaving this post,” said Tillerson.

Tillerson sidestepped whether he had called the president a “moron” at a July meeting with national security advisers — though a State Department spokesperson later denied that he had.

On Wednesday, NBC News reporter Carol Lee said later on Wednesday that she stood by her reporting, based on meeting that the president did not attend.

Trump spent a good part of yesterday morning fuming over the allegations as well and took to Twitter almost immediately after Tillerson’s remarks to declare the issue settled.

… But if today is any indication — it’s probably not!

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