Conservative news site only media outlet on Tillerson's flight to Asia

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson traveled to Asia to meet China's leaders, but was accompanied by only one reporter from a conservative website. The White House correspondent writes for the Independent Journal Review, which was founded by Republican political operatives in 2012. According to the outlet, the State Department offered reporter Erin McPike a spot on Tillerson's trip to Asia, but did not say why he was chosen. The State Department reportedly told journalists that Tillerson would not be taking any media on his plane, forcing them to fly on commercial airlines. News outlets such as CNN, New York Times, and Reuters complained regarding the matter.