From the State Dept in Washington (March 13, 2018) – Sec of State Rex Tillerson talked about his being replaced as the Sec of State after 13 months on the job. This comes after some months of rumors that he would be replaced and after some reports said he had referred to the President as “a moron.”
Earlier in the day, President Trump told the media that he had great respect for Mr. Tillerson and that the expected to continue to talk with him in the future about foreign affair issues, but the President told reporters he and the Secretary didn’t see eye-to-eye on some policy issues — in particular on whether to do away with the deal with Iran, that had been negotiated by the Obama administration.
Now on the verge of a major trip approaching, as the President tries to get a deal to get North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons, the President is moving to make this change so long rumored.
Secretary Tillerson announced his tenure ends at the end of the month, but he will give up his duties as of the end of today, March 13.
In his comments, Sec Tillerson applauded the actions of State Department employees and outlined some of the remaining issues. He specifically named China and Russia for their actions which he warned would leave Russia especially increasingly isolated from other nations if they did not change their approach.
In his statements to the media earlier in the day, the President said his relationship with CIA Director, Mike Pompeo – who was picked to replace Sec Tillerson, was more in tune with his personality.
Director Pompeo graduated first in his class at West Point, and later graduated from Harvard Law. He served in the Gulf War in 1991, and was elected to the US House of Representatives in 2010. If confirmed by the US Senate, Mr Pompeo will become the 70th US Secretary of State.
After his statement to the press, Mr Tillerson did not take any questions.
