Sec. of State Tillerson 'taking a little time off' but not resigning 
 
 CLOSE Amid reports claiming Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is resigning, his office confirms he's just taking a break after a lot of recent traveling. USA TODAY 
 
 Rex Tillerson has no plans to resign as Secretary of State and is "just taking a little time off," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Tuesday amid reports Tillerson was considering stepping down. 
 
 CNN reported over the weekend that a potential "Rexit" at Foggy Bottom was brewing and that Tillerson might resign before the end of the year. The report pointed to the former ExxonMobil CEO's growing frustration with the administration, which was exacerbated by President Trump's public attacks on Attorney General Jeff Sessions. 
 
 "The secretary has been very clear he intends to stay here at the State Department" Nauert told reporters when asked about the resignation rumors, according to The Hill. "We have a lot of work that is left to be done ahead of us. He recognizes that. He is deeply engaged in that work." 
 
 Nauert said Tillerson is "just taking a little time off" after returning from a "mega trip" at the beginning of the month that included stops in Germany, Ukraine, Turkey, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. 
 
 "He's entitled to take a few days himself," Nauert said. 
 
 CNN said Tillerson told "friends outside of Washington" that he intended to remain at the State Department at least through the end of the year, but the network also cited two anonymous sources who said they thought he might leave sooner than that. 
 
 Those sources added that Tillerson "could have been venting after a tough week." 
 
 Tillerson's senior aide RC Hammond denied the report in a Buzzfeed News story published Monday. 
 
 "As long as there are rogue regimes pursuing nuclear weapons or terrorists seeking safe haven the secretary will remain on the job," Hammond said. 
 
 There has been tension between Tillerson and the Trump administration over issues ranging from Iran policy to State Department personnel, according to several media reports. In June, the secretary of State unloaded on White House aide Johnny DeStefano over staffing issues. 
 
 "Well, it is a lot different than being C.E.O. of Exxon because I was the ultimate decision maker," Tillerson told Tillerson told The New York Times earlier this month about his role as chief diplomat. "That always makes life easier." 
 
 Some reporters speculated that Trump's politicized address at the Boy Scout Jamboree could have further alienated Tillerson, a Distinguished Eagle Scout and former national president of the Boy Scouts of America. 
 
 Rex spoke to Scouts Fri w/o public fanfare. Trump comments more likely to push him out than policy contradictions. https://t.co/AIuDVpyd7e — Nicholas Wadhams (@nwadhams) July 25, 2017 
 
 Everyone covering the State Dept. is on "Tillerson quits" countdown watch. Tillerson has a long history with the Boy Scouts. https://t.co/iNsP7evHN3 — Edward Wong (@comradewong) July 25, 2017 
 
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 State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert flatly denied rumors on Tuesday that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is planning his departure from the agency but noted that he serves "at the pleasure of the president." 
 
 "We have spoken with the secretary. The secretary has been very clear he intends to stay here at the State Department," Nauert told reporters at a press briefing. "We have a lot of work that is left to be done ahead of us. He recognizes that. He's deeply engaged in that work." 
 
 "He does, however, serve at the pleasure of the president just as any cabinet official would," she added. 
 
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 Nauert acknowledged that she had not spoken to Tillerson on Tuesday and said that the secretary is currently out for travel. Tillerson's public schedule for Tuesday shows no public events or appointments. 
 
 "Just taking a little time off. He just came back from that mega-trip overseas, as you all well know," Nauert said. "So he's entitled to take a few days himself." 
 
 Reports emerged Monday that Tillerson, the former CEO of ExxonMobil Corp., has become increasingly frustrated with the Trump administration and could take an early leave from the agency he's been charged with leading. 
 
 He was reportedly determined to stay on at the State Department through the end of the year at least, according to CNN. 
 
 But growing tension in the White House and mounting policy differences between Tillerson and President Trump have reportedly fueled the secretary's frustrations. 
 
 Tillerson was reportedly irritated by Trump's comments to The New York Times last week, in which he disparaged Attorney General Jeff Sessions Jefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsWhite House calls on Congress to secure borders after verdict in Steinle case Trump’s Russian winter grows colder with Flynn plea deal Justice Department considering federal charges in Steinle case MORE for recusing himself from the federal probe into Russian election meddling and possible collusion with members of Trump's campaign. 
 
 Tillerson has also diverged from Trump on the issues of Iran and reportedly sparred with the president during a meeting last week over whether Trump should certify Tehran's compliance with the 2015 nuclear agreement.
– A State Department spokesperson continues to push back against reports that Rex Tillerson has plans to exit the Trump administration. But in doing so, she made a point to say that he serves "at the pleasure of the president," reports the Hill. Tillerson himself hasn't responded to multiple reports that he's gotten so fed up he intends to leave before the year is out. He is currently "taking a little time off" after overseas trips, says the spokesperson. In response to the reports of a "Rexit," she added, "The secretary has been very clear he intends to stay here at the State Department." While Tillerson has clashed with superiors on policies ranging from Iran to staffing to the president's travel ban, USA Today notes that he's also probably not thrilled with Trump's recent speech to the Boy Scouts, which critics have derided as being too political for kids. Tillerson himself is a Distinguished Eagle Scout and a former national president of the group.