Headlines
Secretary of State Tillerson removed; CIA Director Mike Pompeo new secretary
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is out.
CIA Director Mike Pompeo is Trump's pick to replace Tillerson.
Gina Haspel, CIA deputy director, will be nominated to replace Director Pompeo.
Trump’s anger at Tillerson after it leaked that he called him “a moron†never subsided, and many in the White House saw their differences as irreconcilable, CNN reported. Some say Tillerson wanted to handle foreign policy his own way, without the President. Trump didn’t feel that Tillerson backed him.
Steve Goldstein, undersecretary for public diplomacy, said Rex Tillerson wanted to stay, according to CNN
"The Secretary had every intention of staying, because of critical progress made in national security," Goldstein said. "He will miss his colleagues at the Department of State and the foreign ministers that he’s worked with throughout the world."
The official added that Tillerson didn't get to speak with President Trump and doesn't know why.
In a statement sent to the press, Pompeo said he was "grateful" to have worked for the CIA.
"I am deeply grateful to President Trump for permitting me to serve as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and for this opportunity to serve as Secretary of State. His leadership has made America safer and I look forward to representing him and the American people to the rest of the world to further America’s prosperity.
Serving alongside the great men and women of the CIA, the most dedicated and talented public servants I have encountered, has been one of the great honors of my life. I am proud of the work we have done on behalf of America and know that the Agency will continue to thrive under the leadership of Gina Haspel.
If confirmed, I look forward to guiding the world’s finest diplomatic corps in formulating and executing the President’s foreign policy. In my time as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, I have worked alongside many remarkable Foreign Service officers and Department of State leaders serving here in the United States and on the very edge of freedom. I know I will learn from them and, as President Trump set out in his State of the Union Address, work hard to ensure that 'our nation will forever be safe and strong and proud and mighty and free.'"
