Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff teamed up on Friday to slam the “gossip tabloid” that is CNN for publishing fake news about an alleged beef between them.
The drama began early Friday when CNN published a report claiming Rubio has “taken a back seat on the world stage to Witkoff” on account of the latter’s close, personal friendship with President Donald Trump.
We looked at @SecRubio‘s role in the Trump administration and how it risks being overshadowed by Steve Witkoff’s ever-growing portfolio. Interesting thoughts from a variety of people in the Rubio orbit: https://t.co/2qJXRxzu6c w/ @jamiegangel @jeremyherb @jeffzeleny @jmhansler
— Alex Marquardt (@MarquardtA) March 21, 2025
“Witkoff has been a leading player in some of Trump’s highest profile foreign policy wins — the release of hostages in Israel, a since-broken ceasefire in Gaza, and the return of American Marc Fogel from Russia after Witkoff traveled to Moscow to finalize negotiations for his release,” the report reads.
“He’s jetted around the Middle East and become a key mediator in talks to end the war in Ukraine. Witkoff went back to Moscow for a face-to-face with Russian president Vladimir Putin last week to try to advance the administration’s ceasefire proposal,” the reporting continues.
According to an anonymous source “familiar” with Witkoff’s work, he’s been “flying all over the world playing secretary of state.”
And according to CNN and its anonymous sources, Rubio isn’t at all pleased with this alleged dynamic: “[M]ultiple sources familiar with Rubio and the job say he appears ill at ease by how the White House has minimized his role.”
“It’s not what he expected,” one source claimed. “Witkoff came out of the blue. Trump loves him.”
Witkoff and Rubio have since both disputed CNN’s report.
“@CNN is an anti-Trump gossip tabloid that uses thinly sourced stories to generate clicks and try to make trouble,” Rubio tweeted late Friday morning.” Witkoff is one of the people I work with the CLOSEST on our team. These people are pathetic.”
Look:
.@CNN is an anti-Trump gossip tabloid that uses thinly sourced stories to generate clicks and try to make trouble. Witkoff is one of the people I work with the CLOSEST on our team. These people are pathetic. https://t.co/y8xyJgWLLo
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) March 21, 2025
Witkoff responded soon afterward.
“Shame on @CNN,” he wrote in his own post. “Not one of the authors of this fabricated article even called me as a courtesy to get my thoughts on this. Why? Because it is completely untrue. Here is the truth. @marcorubio is an outstanding Secretary of State.”
“We work in complete sync together. There has never been a moment of friction between us and we have become close personal friends. It’s scary what these writers will do to attempt to be relevant,” he added.
Look:
Shame on @CNN. Not one of the authors of this fabricated article even called me as a courtesy to get my thoughts on this. Why? Because it is completely untrue. Here is the truth. @marcorubio is an outstanding Secretary of State. We work in complete sync together. There has never… https://t.co/6AwxN1nCpw
— Steve Witkoff (@SteveWitkoff) March 21, 2025
To CNN’s credit, it responded to the backlash by updating its report to include comments from Witkoff and others.
“He is already a great Secretary of State and in my view will go down as one of the greatest,” Witkoff said to CNN about Rubio. “Where the media gets these nonsense stories I will never know so I have now learned to dismiss them. Every single issue I am working on comes with the collaboration of Marco Rubio.”
National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes also had some choice words for the network, as did State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
“Nothing could be further from the truth,” Hughes said. “Secretary Rubio is a pivotal leader on President Trump’s national security team having spearheaded a number of foreign policy initiatives, especially as it relates to negotiating a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine and driving policy in the Western Hemisphere. President Trump has amassed a talented team who are working around the clock to deliver results for Americans.”
“Your premise is false,” Bruce likewise said. “Secretary Rubio and Special Envoy Witkoff have a fantastic relationship, and are working together to advance President Trump’s agenda.”
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V. Saxena is a staff writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.
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