Trump fires Tillerson: president swings axe after series of policy clashes

Donald Trump has fired his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, and announced his intention to replace him with the CIA director, Mike Pompeo.

Trump announced the shake-up in a tweet, adding that Gina Haspel, Pompeo’s deputy, would become the CIA’s first female director.

Tillerson’s departure had long been predicted after a series of clashes over policy. But the announcement, made just four hours after the secretary of state landed in Washington after a tour of Africa, took Tillerson unawares.

Under-secretary of state Steve Goldstein said: “The secretary did not speak to the president and is unaware of the reason, but he is grateful for the opportunity to serve, and still believes strongly that public service is a noble calling.”

Goldstein was later fired, the state department said.

Tillerson’s dismissal was immediate. State officials said they did not know if he would clear his office or send someone to do it for him. Officials said Tillerson had shown every intention of staying and had a full programme of commitments. Tillerson had recently predicted he would stay in office for all of 2018 at least.

Source: theguardian