Washington (March 13, 2018): US President Donald Trump has decided on Tuesday to remove Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and replace him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo.
The move, first reported by The Washington Post, was followed by a tweet from Trump. Gina Haspel will become the first woman director of the CIA, Trump said. Both she and Pompeo will have to be confirmed by the Senate.
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Haspel is currently deputy director of the CIA.
The decision ends a tumultuous tenure for Tillerson, who often seemed at odds with Trump or out of the loop altogether.
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
Trump’s tweet Tuesday came the day after Tillerson blamed Russia for an assassination in London — something the White House had specifically not done just hours before.
Last Thursday, Tillerson said it would be premature for Trump to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Later that evening, Trump said he would meet Kim by May to discuss the future of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
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