Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's growing frustrations with the way the White House operates may lead to his resignation, CNN reported on Monday.
Two sources who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity who are familiar with Tillerson's discussions with friends outside of Washington said there was a noticeable increase in his frustration and in his doubts that the infighting with the White House would calm down anytime soon.
Part of the mounting frustration came from President Donald Trump's overruling of top advisers to hire Anthony Scaramucci as communications director and the resignation of press secretary Sean Spicer.
Sources told CNN that an even bigger blow for Tillerson was the president's sharp and public criticism of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, one of Trump's earliest and major supporters. The secretary of state reportedly considered the president's public rebuke of Sessions as unprofessional.
These latest setbacks are on top of Tillerson's already existing differences with the White House over Iran policy and State Department personnel and have reportedly increased his considerations of quitting.
The sources said Tillerson had been considering staying on to at least the end of the year, but the latest incidents have made him think about resigning even earlier.
However, the CNN sources admit the secretary's frustration could be only venting after a particularly difficult week.
Politico reported recently that Tillerson was particularly angry at Johnny DeStefano, the head of the presidential personnel office, for nixing proposed nominees to senior State Department posts and for questioning his judgment.
That blowup reportedly occurred in White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus' office, and in front of top Trump aide and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who called the outburst unprofessional.
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