Rex Tillerson gives commencement speech, warns of leaders who 'conceal the truth'

Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had some words of wisdom to impart upon the graduating class of 2018 at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, where he gave a commencement address Wednesday. Tillerson criticized the "growing crisis in ethics and integrity" in "the state of our American democracy," NBC News reported.

Tillerson, who was fired via a tweet from President Trump in March, strongly condemned leaders who "conceal the truth," saying that it could lead to "relinquishing our freedom." Despite never mentioning Trump or the administration outright, Tillerson's remarks seemed "laser-focused" on the president, The Hill reported.

It was previously reported that Tillerson called the president a "moron" while in office, and in his farewell address, he called Washington, D.C. a "mean-spirited town." Continuing that admonishment of Washington, the former secretary of state warned in his commencement speech that a lack of commitment to the truth "strikes at the very heart of a free society," and insisted that action is needed to prevent democracy from "entering its twilight years."

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Read more of Tillerson's remarks at The Hill.