Mattis 'could be' leaving as US defence chief

WASHINGTON, Oct 14 (AFP): US President Donald Trump said in an interview airing Sunday that Defence Secretary Jim Mattis "could be" leaving, referring to him as "sort of a Democrat."

Mattis, seen as one of the steadiest but also more independent members of Trump's cabinet, has served as a low-profile counterweight to the president in his often abrasive treatment of US allies.

In an interview to be aired Sunday on CBS's "60 Minutes," Trump was asked whether he wanted Mattis to leave.

"It could be that he is. I think he's sort of a Democrat, if you want to know the truth," Trump said, according to an excerpt released by CBS. "But General Mattis is a good guy. We get along very well. He may leave. I mean, at some point, everybody leaves."