Trump Ousts Secretary of State Rex Tillerson

President Trump has ousted Secretary of State Rex Tillerson after months of speculation surrounding the his tenure. The president will be replacing him with current CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

Tillerson learned of his replacement at the same time as the general public via the president's tweet and was not contracted by President Trump on Tuesday morning.

Mr. Tillerson spoke on the matter in a press conference this afternoon. He highlighted the accomplishments of the State Department, thanked his department staff, but failed to thank President Trump in his prepared statements.

Tillerson will be working on transition proceedings and will continue at the State Department until March 31st.

Many experts are concerned with the timing, especially with regards to the ongoing tensions with North Korea and the proposed meeting between the two world leaders.

Earlier this year Tillerson publicly stated in a CNN interview that he planned to stay on through 2018 and that President Trump had not given him any indication that he would not be sticking around.

White House chief of staff, John F. Kelly, contacted Tillerson last Friday while the secretary was on his trip in Africa and told him to cut the trip short and return home. Kelly went on to note to Tillerson that “you may get a tweet” in regards to his possible ousting.

Mr. Tillerson told reporters “I’ll now return to private life, as a private citizen, as a proud American, proud of the opportunity I had to serve my country.”

Source(s): New York Times, CNN, CBS News

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