Tillerson did his job correctly. Tonga doesn’t offer the same rights as we do. Yes, the evidence (reported in this short article) suggests this guy is guilty. But Tillerson is obligated to protect an American citizen from being tried without legal representation—his job isn’t to judge the case.

Imagine that another US citizen was wanted by North Korea for “conspiring against the great Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.”  Imagine they had “witnesses” like they did against the student who fell into a coma while detained. Should we send the US citizen to Kim Jong Un’s kangaroo court?

Of course, Tillerson’s greatest deed so far has been to stick with his post amid all the political storms. He’s being a boy scout, protecting us from potential calamity.