Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Doesn't Deny He Called Trump A 'Moron,' But Isn't Leaving

WASHINGTON, DC — What Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a Wednesday news conference was less interesting than what he didn’t say. Tillerson glowingly praised President Donald Trump, refuting published reports that he was on the verge of quitting last summer, but sidestepped a reporter’s question about whether he called the president a "moron."

But whether Tillerson did or didn't demean his boss hung in the air like the fumes of a stink bomb after the secretary's remarks at the brief news conference. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauer said in a followup news briefing that Tillerson has never used "moron" to describe the president and "doesn't use that language."

Tillerson addressed the issue only briefly, saying only that he wasn't going to get into "petty stuff." He robustly defended the president, saying there are those in Washington who want to "sow the seeds of dissension to advance their own agenda." (For more information on this and other political stories, subscribe to the White House Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Tillerson also said he has no plans of resigning and never even considered it.

Tillerson: 'I Never Considered Resigning'

"I have never considered leaving this post," Tillerson said at the State Department briefing, where he said his intentions were "erroneously" reported by NBC News. "I am here for as long as the president feels I can be useful to achieving his objectives.

"My commitment to the success of our president and our country is as strong as it was the day I accepted his offer to serve as secretary of state," Tillerson said.

The NBC report, citing three administration officials familiar with the situation, said Vice President Mike Pence counseled Tillerson to remain on the job through at least the end of the year, despite reports of escalating tensions between Trump’s national security team and Cabinet officials.

The Associated Press reported that Jarrod Agen, an adviser to Pence, said the vice president never discussed the prospect of Tillerson resigning from the Trump administration.

Agen said "any reporting to the contrary is categorically false."

Pence's office also contested reports that Pence questioned U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley's value to the administration. Agen saidPence has known Haley for many years and "holds her in the highest regard."

Trump, who CNN said was aware that Tillerson had called him a moron, disputed the report on Twitter, calling it "fake news" before Tillerson's news conference.

R.C. Hammond, Tillerson’s top State Department spokesman, told NBC that Tillerson didn’t consider quitting and also denied the secretary had referred to the commander in chief as a moron.

Tillerson said the administration has had numerous foreign policy successes, including convincing China to pressure North Korea to , pressing for sanctions on Pyongyang and working with Middle Eastern allies to fight terrorism.

"We're just getting started," he added.

Related: Trump's Tweet Over Wasting Time Negotiating With North Korea Apparently Sent From Golf Course

Still, Trump appeared to take a dig at the secretary of state over the weekend when he tweeted Tillerson was wasting his time negotiating with Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator the Trump has repeatedly called "Little Rocket Man."

The NBC report said Tillerson considered quitting after Trump’s controversial speech to Boy Scouts in July. He injected politics in the meandering, campaign-style speech, violating one of the founding tenets of the Boy Scouts of America organization: that its mission for service is above partisan politics. Tillerson once led the organization.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)