President Trump Replaces Rex Tillerson As Secretary Of State
BALTIMORE (WJZ/AP) -- President Donald Trump has fired Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State.
President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday morning that CIA Director Mike Pompeo will replace Tillerson. He also tweeted that Gina Haspel will become the first women Director of the CIA to replace Pompeo. Haspel is currently the Deputy Director of the CIA.
Both Pompeo and Haspel will be nominated by the president for their new roles and will have to be confirmed by the Senate at a later date.
Tillerson said he is delegating his responsibilities at the end of the workday Tuesday to Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan.
Speaking to reporters hours after being unceremoniously fired by the president in a tweet, Tillerson says he will be formally stepping down from his post at the end of the month.
Tillerson is calling for an orderly transition to Pompeo. He encouraged State Department employees to remain focused on their jobs.
Two U.S. officials say the White House fired a key aide at the State Department after he contradicted the official account of Tillerson's dismissal by President Trump.
The officials said Steve Goldstein, the undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, was informed of the move shortly after he released a statement in his name saying that Tillerson was "unaware of the reason" for his termination. Goldstein had also told reporters that Tillerson learned of his firing Tuesday morning from Trump's tweet.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about personnel moves. Goldstein could not immediately be reached for comment.
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