Politics

Tillerson answers McCain's attack on him

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in an interview that aired Sunday that the U.S. must make a distinction “between values and policy,” a response to criticism from Sen. John McCain that the nation’s top diplomat had abandoned victims of oppression around the globe.

...“America's values of freedom, of treatment of people, human dignity, freedom of expression throughout the world, those are our values. Those are enduring values. They are part of everything we do.”

“But I make a distinction between values and policy. A policy has to be tailored to the individual situation. To the country. To its circumstances. To the broader issues that we are addressing,” he continued. “And so policies have to be adaptable. They have to change. They have to adjust to conditions. But our values can never change.”