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View Full Version : Trump Reportedly Considers Replacing Secretary Of State Tillerson




Zippyjuan
11-30-2017, 01:58 PM
https://www.npr.org/2017/11/30/567483211/trump-reportedly-considers-replacing-secretary-of-state-tillerson

The rumor has been out there before. White House not denying it may be considering a move.


President Trump brushed aside reports that he is considering replacing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, though multiple news outlets say Tillerson could be shown the door within weeks.

Pressed about those reports Thursday morning during an Oval Office meeting, Trump said only: "He's here. Rex is here."

The cryptic answer did little to dispel speculation that Tillerson's days as the country's top diplomat could be numbered.

The New York Times and other outlets are reporting that Tillerson could be replaced by CIA Director Mike Pompeo. In turn, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., is reportedly a top contender to take Pompeo's place running the spy agency.

Tillerson — a former CEO of Exxon Mobil — has had a rocky tenure at the State Department. He came into the position with no government or diplomatic experience and has frequently found himself at odds with the president on issues such as the value of the Iran nuclear deal and the standoff between Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

In early October, reports surfaced that Tillerson had called the president a "moron." He pointedly did not dispute those accounts.

Tillerson was thought to have an ally in White House chief of staff John Kelly. But according to reports, which NPR has not independently confirmed, Kelly crafted the plan to replace the secretary. Pompeo has risen in the president's estimation during frequent White House intelligence briefings. And Cotton's views are closely aligned with Trump's on Iran and immigration.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders echoed the president's comment that Tillerson hasn't been replaced.

"There are no personnel announcements at this time," Sanders said in a statement. "Secretary Tillerson continues to lead the State Department and the entire Cabinet is focused on completing this incredibly successful first year of President Trump's administration."




Possibly related?

http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/24/politics/rex-tillerson-ivanka-trump-india-trip/index.html


Tillerson's senior team planning to skip Ivanka Trump's India trip

Days ahead of what should be a major moment for Ivanka Trump on the world stage, CNN has learned Secretary of State Rex Tillerson isn't sending a high-level delegation to support her amid reports of tensions between Tillerson and the White House.

Multiple State Department officials, as well as a source close to the White House, have told CNN Tillerson's decision not to send senior State Department officials to this year's Global Entrepreneurship Summit, being held in India next week, is not related to his key project of slashing the Department's budget, and is more to do with the fact Ivanka Trump is leading the US delegation this year. Trump was invited by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June, and this year's theme is supporting women entrepreneurs.

The State Department puts on the large yearly event, which Secretary of State John Kerry and even former President Barack Obama attended multiple times. But this year, according to one senior State Department official: "No one higher than the deputy assistant secretary is allowed to participate. The secretary and his top staff have insisted on approving all travel-- even the most minute details."

"They (Tillerson and his staff) won't send someone senior because they don't want to bolster Ivanka. It's now another rift between the White House and State at a time when Rex Tillerson doesn't need any more problems with the President," the official added.



More at link.

axiomata
11-30-2017, 02:43 PM
Tillerson for Pompeo/Cotton is a horrible trade.