Russian President Vladimir Putin was better prepared than U.S. counterpart Donald Trump for the pair's meeting in August, putting U.S. officials at a disadvantage, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee during a secret meeting Tuesday, reports The Washington Post.
"We spent a lot of time in the conversation talking about how Putin seized every opportunity to push what he wanted," a committee aide told the Post. "There was a discrepancy in preparation, and it created an unequal footing."
Tillerson also said White House adviser and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner should have consulted with the State Department or other agencies before getting involved in foreign affairs and his inexperience showed.
Tillerson's meeting, which lasted seven hours, centered on his experiences in Trump's Cabinet.
One House Foreign Affairs Committee Republican aide told CNN, "Tillerson's testimony best speaks for itself” and pressed for Democrats to release a transcript of the sit-down.
"Contrary to media reports, Secretary Tillerson made clear that 2016 Russian election interference was raised clearly at the highest levels with Vladimir Putin and the Russian government," the aide said. "Regarding Kushner, every single administration is entitled to choose and seek counsel from their own advisers."
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