Rubio slams CNN as 'anti-Trump gossip tabloid' after report on him and Witkoff
Photo: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Getty Images)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has accused CNN of spreading rumors. He responded after the network published a report about him and US Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.
“CNN is an anti-Trump gossip tabloid that uses thinly sourced stories to generate clicks and try to make trouble,” the secretary of state wrote.
Rubio stated that Witkoff is “one of the people I work with the CLOSEST on our team.” He called CNN’s authors “pathetic people.”
CNN published a report claiming that Marco Rubio had “lobbied” for the position of secretary of state after not being selected as vice president. The network noted that Rubio did not take Steve Witkoff and his influence on Donald Trump into account.
An unnamed senator who speaks with Rubio told CNN that the secretary of state was allegedly disappointed. Citing a source, CNN reported that Rubio “appears ill at ease by how the White House has minimized his role.”
Notably, Steve Witkoff serves as the US Special Envoy for Middle East affairs and has been involved in efforts to resolve Russia’s war against Ukraine.
His participation in the negotiations was unexpected. Before the inauguration, Trump had announced that retired General Keith Kellogg would serve as Special Envoy for Russia and Ukraine. However, Kellogg’s role in the negotiation process has since been limited.
According to the White House, Witkoff is responsible for contacts with the Russian side. Since his appointment, he has traveled to Moscow twice and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
