Michelle Kolinski reporting from the State Department. She spoke to some officials, some of them senior officials. They were surprised not just by the story as such but that their boss had put out a public statement that they didn't know about, calling this odd.
State dept didnt even know a statement was released. This is so tasty.
CNN had to tell them
So it's probably another one of those times where Trump has put himself in the shit once again and he's forced someone else to abandon protocol and put out a message of denial before they've gathered their shit together and formed a thought out strategy. Perfect.