Tillerson thanks State staffers, no mention of Trump in first remarks since firing
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson offered a solemn thanks to State Department staffers while making no specific mention of President Trump in his first public remarks since being fired by Mr. Trump Tuesday morning.
Tillerson, whose tenure was frequently subject to speculation in the past year, found out about his ouster when the public did. The Secretary made no remarks on the drama behind his termination, but said he received a call on Tuesday "a little after noon time" from the the president as well as chief of staff John Kelly "to ensure we have clarity as to the days ahead."
He said the top priority now was to "ensure an orderly and smooth transition" as the country faces "policy and national security challenges."
Tillerson told reporters that effective at the end of the day, all duties will be delegated to Deputy Secretary John Sullivan. His time at the State Department will formally terminate at midnight on March 31.
His remarks were largely devoted to thanking "selfless leaders" at State.
"To my foreign service officers, and civil service colleagues, we all took the same oath of office, whether you are career, employee or a political appointee, we are all bound by that common commitment," said Tillerson.
He said in closing that he now returns to private life as a private citizen and a "proud American" of the opportunity he had to serve the country.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House before departing for his trip to California that the two had disagreed on some issues, in particular, the handling of the Iran nuclear deal.
"Rex and I have been talking about this for a long time. We got along actually quite well, but we disagreed on things," he said. "When you look at the Iran deal -- I think it's terrible. I guess he thought it was okay. I wanted to either break it or do something. And he felt a little bit differently. So we were not really thinking the same."
He said however that Rex would be "much happier now" outside the State Department.
But State Department Under Secretary Steve Goldstein said in a statement to CBS News on Tuesday morning that the Secretary had "every intention of staying because of the critical progress made in national security."
Goldstein added in his statement that Tillerson was "unaware of the reason" he had been removed. Soon afterward, the White House called Goldstein to tell him he was no longer needed.
Tillerson closes his remarks
"I close by thanking all for the privilege of serving beside you for the past 14 months," said Tillerson. He said he now returns to private life as a private citizen and a "proud American" of the opportunity he had to serve the country.
Most notably he made no mention of Mr. Trump in his closing, only to say that he received a call from the president earlier in the afternoon.
Tillerson on progress to be made
Tillerson noted the successes of the State Department under his leadership, saying "Working with allies, we exceeded the expectations of almost everyone" with regards to the maximum pressure campaign in North Korea. He noted the announcement of a future summit between the U.S. and North Korea took place during his overseas visit in Africa.
"There's more to be done in Syria," said Tillerson of the ongoing civil unrest in the region. He added much work remains to establish a world view of how to properly deal with China, the fight against ISIL and Russia's meddling efforts.
"Russia must assess carefully as to how its actions are in the best interest of the Russian people in the world more broadly. Continuing on their current trajectory is likely to lead to greater isolation on their part, a situation which is not in anyone's interest," said Tillerson.
He added, "Much remains to be done to achieve our mission on behalf of the American people with allies and with partners."
Tillerson thanks State staffers
"The world needs selfless leaders like these," said Tillerson, thanking staff members at the State Department.
He says noting the joint efforts of State and the Department of Defense, "U.S. leadership starts with diplomacy."
"To my foreign service officers, and civil service colleagues, we all took the same oath of office, whether you are career, employee or a political appointee, we are all bound by that common commitment," said Tillerson.
Tillerson talks departure
Tillerson tells reporters he received a call on Tuesday "a little after noon time" from the the president as well as chief of staff John Kelly "to ensure we have clarity as to the days ahead."
He said the top priority is to "ensure an orderly and smooth transition" as the country faces "policy and national security challenges."
He said effective at the end of the day all duties will be delegated to Dep. Sec. John Sullivan. His time at the State Department will formally end at Midnight on March 31.
Tillerson takes podium
Tillerson arrives to the briefing room to deliver his comments.
Tillerson to make statement
According to the State Department, the Secretary will make an on-camera statement to reporters at the State Department at 2:00 p.m. This will be his first opportunity to deliver remarks after being ousted Tuesday morning.
The president had cited his disagreements with Tillerson as a sticking point to his tenure State while speaking to reporters on Tuesday. Tillerson previously told CBS' "Face the Nation" in October of last year that the president "likes to create action-forcing events."
"The president often takes steps to force an action when he feels things are just not moving," Tillerson said.