Story highlights Tillerson said ""There is no gap between the President and myself or the State Department on policy"

Tillerson also hit back at the notion that Jared Kushner is running diplomatic efforts

(CNN) In congressional testimony Wednesday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson denied that his policy statements are often contradicted by President Donald Trump.

"There is no gap between the President and myself or the State Department on policy," he told Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) in response to questioning before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

"There are differences in terms of how the President chooses to articulate the elements of that policy," he acknowledged.

Castro asked Tillerson to account for a series of occasions when his foreign policy statements were at odds with the President's, including a recent incident where President Trump seemed to praise Gulf nations for their isolation of Qatar, just hours after Tillerson said the blockade was hampering US military efforts against ISIS.

"How can Americans and our allies around the world have confidence in your word, in the State Department's position, and most of all, that it represents what President Trump believes?" Castro asked.

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