Rex Tillerson, who was fired as secretary of state in a tweet by President Trump, on Thursday told State Department staffers this can be a “very mean-spirited town” but encouraged them not to take part in it.
“This can be a very mean-spirited town. But you don’t have to choose to participate in that,” Tillerson said in his farewell remarks to laughter that turned into applause. “Each of us gets to choose the person we want to be and the way we want to be treated and the way we treat others.”
Trump ousted Tillerson in a tweet earlier this month and said he would replace him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo.
The former CEO of ExxonMobil told the workers to “never lose sight of your most valuable asset, your personal integrity.”
“It belongs to you and always has and will belong to you and you alone,” he said. “Only you can relinquish it or allow it to be compromised. Once you’ve done so it is very hard to regain it. So guard it as the most precious thing you possess.”
Tillerson, who has turned over his responsibilities to his deputy John Sullivan, will leave the department on March 31.