Veteran Associated Press diplomatic writer Matt Lee refuted a report from The Washington Post Thursday that some State Department officers have been instructed not to look Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in the eye.

Lee conceded the juicy rumor makes for an interesting headline, but assured his readers based on personal experience that the claim is false.

“It’s compelling gossip,” he tweeted. “I have looked him [Tillerson] in the eyes and not turned to stone. At least not yet…”

The assertion, which was sourced to anonymous “career diplomats,” generated a wave of ridicule and criticism of Tillerson on social media. Left-leaning news outlets quickly picked up and spread the report, which characterizes Tillerson as someone who makes outrageous demands of his subordinates. The Huffington Post published a Twitter round-up of celebrities, politicians and random users reacting to the WaPo story, and Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu was one of many who fretted about the eye contact rumor, saying he finds the article “disturbing.”

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2017/03/31/ap-reporter-calls-out-wapo-for-publishing-false-claim-about-rex-tillerson/#ixzz4d6j3ZuPK