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Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

    Rex Tillerson Fired as Secretary of State

    Rex+Tillerson+Fired+as+Secretary+of+State

    On Tuesday, March 13, President Trump announced that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had been fired from the position. In addition, Trump announced that he would nominate his current CIA Director Mike Pompeo to be the next Secretary of State. Trump also announced that he would nominate Gina Haspel to be the next CIA Director and if confirmed, she would be the first female director of the agency.

    The announcement comes after months of tension and disagreement between Trump and Tillerson over various policy disagreements. According to a Senior Administration Official, Trump “thought it was the right time for the transition with the upcoming North Korea talks and various trade negotiations.”

    Following the announcement, Tillerson gave a farewell announcement at State Department Headquarters in Washington, D.C. In the announcement, Tillerson thanked his personal staff, State Department officials, all U.S. ambassadors, and the American people. Tillerson, however, did not thank Trump. The only mention of Trump was when Tillerson said that Trump called him from Air Force One at around noon, and let him know that he was being fired, although Tillerson had already heard from Twitter and other sources.

    Mike Pompeo, Trump’s pick to replace Tillerson, is seen by many Democrats and Republicans as an overall solid choice. In his short time as the CIA Director, Pompeo is said to have brought back some pride and improved functionality back to the agency. Pompeo, a former Kansas Congressman and graduate of West Point Military Academy, was among Trump’s final choices to be Secretary of State before it was eventually given to Tillerson. According to sources, this move has been in the works for a few months, and that it was only a matter of when, not if, this would happen.

    Trump hopes to have Pompeo and Haspel confirmed quickly, to allow ample time to prepare for the North Korean negotiations in April or May. While Pompeo will be challenged on how willing he’ll be to fill vacant ambassador posts, he is expected to be confirmed somewhat quickly. Haspel, however, could be in for a tougher confirmation fight. She will likely be challenged by Democrats about her time as the head of CIA Covert Operations under the Bush Administration, where she likely approved and oversaw torture of detainees around the world.

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