US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis dismisses reports he may be leaving Pentagon

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Tuesday flatly dismissed reports suggesting he may be leaving President Donald Trump’s administration in the coming months, saying flatly: “I wouldn’t take it seriously at all.

“How many times have been through this, now, just since I’ve been here? It will die down soon, and the people who started the rumor will be allowed to write the next rumor, too,” Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon.”Just the way the town is,” he said. “Keep a sense of humor about it.”

Reporting by Phil Stewart; editing by Jonathan Oatis