The Trump Administration fires the Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, nominates CIA Director Mike Pompeo

By Belen Dumont 3/13/2018

President Trump fired Rex Tillerson as the Secretary of State in a tweet Tuesday morning, nominating CIA Director Mike Pompeo to take the position. U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced that Pompeo’s confirmation hearing would be in April.

President Trump also announced that he would nominate current CIA Deputy Director Gina Haspel to become CIA director.

President Trump’s announcement about Tillerson’s departure came after months of tension and discord between the two. According CNN, a senior White House official said Tillerson was warned that he would likely be replaced but was not given specific timing. According to CNN, Trump said he and Pompeo have a “similar thought process” and are “on the same wavelength.”

Steve Goldstein, State Department undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, released a statement Tuesday saying that Tillerson was not given reasons behind his firing and was notified of his official termination in Trump’s public tweet. Later in the day, the White House also fired Goldstein, a Trump appointee who began his term in December.

These changes in the State Department come just as the president announced tariffs on steel and months before possible diplomatic talks with North Korea.

Trump said he thought it was the right time for the transition, with the upcoming North Korea talks and various trade negotiations, a senior administration official told CNN. The president is scheduled to meet Kim Jong Un by the end of May.