WASHINGTON -- A deputy assistant to President Donald Trump has dismissed statements by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson regarding a military response to North Korea as "simply nonsensical." He says Tillerson was stepping beyond his administration role as the nation's top diplomat.

"The idea that Secretary Tillerson is going to discuss military matters is simply nonsensical," Trump aide Sebastian Gorka said in an interview with the BBC.

Gorka said that it is Defense Secretary James Mattis' job "to talk about the military options" whereas he said Tillerson is "the chief diplomat of the United States and it is his portfolio to handle those issues."

His remarks come after media criticism that the Trump administration - the president as well as Tillerson and Mattis - had offered mixed messages as tension rose over North Korea's nuclear program.

Get Breaking News Delivered to Your Inbox

While Trump on Tuesday warned North Korea not to threaten the U.S. and spoke of meeting the North with "fire and fury like the world has never seen," Tillerson on Wednesday played down those comments.