Breaking: Trump Fires Sec. of State Rex Tillerson
Amid several key disagreements in policy, Trump declared Tuesday that CIA Director Mike Pompeo will replace Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State.
In a shocking twist of events early Tuesday, Donald Trump has fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. The President has named Mike Pompeo, CIA director, as his replacement.
Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2018
Many in the political community have speculated about a firing of Tillerson. Since he assumed the position in February of 2017, he has clashed with President Trump on a number of key policy issues.
Most notably, they have disagreed on how the handle the nuclear threat in North Korea. Trump has shown his excitement about the idea of a productive talk with North Korea. However, Tillerson believed he should first take a number of steps to ensure the safety of the country.
Tillerson’s breaks in policy with Trump are not limited to North Korea. Last summer, he did not deny allegations that he called the President a “moron”.
On Monday, the former Secretary of State also named Russia as a suspect in the assassination of a former Russian spy in the United Kingdom. As the White House took no such steps, the move created more tension.
Trump also named Gina Haspel, the current deputy CIA director, as the next CIA director. If confirmed, she will be the first woman to assume the role.
