U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai is reportedly seeking to mend her relationship with national security adviser Jake Sullivan after a confrontation in the Situation Room led to an alleged rift between the two.
Unidentified sources told Axios Sunday that Tai accused Sullivan of leaking to the press in September to undermine her authority.
Tai, formerly chief trade counsel for the House Ways and Means Committee, was outraged by stories in Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal reporting that the administration was considering investigating Chinese industrial subsidies under Section 301, a move that could lead to new tariffs, according to Axios.
The sources reported that Tai assumed National Security Council officials had planted the stories to undermine her review.
However, the administration did not end up unveiling any 301 tariffs before the administration announced its new approach to the U.S. and China trade relationship in October, Axios noted.
“Katherine and I are all-good — not Washington all-good — regular all-good. The only beef we deal with is beef for export,” Sullivan told the news outlet.
“Jake is a critical partner in delivering on the president’s vision for a worker-centered trade policy that yields results for ordinary Americans,” Tai also said.