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Reports: White House Has Plan To Force Tillerson Out, Replace With CIA Chief

RFE/RL November 30, 2017

WASHINGTON -- U.S. media are reporting that the White House has developed a plan to force out Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and replace him with Mike Pompeo, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Citing a senior administration official, The New York Times on November 30 first reported that the administration of President Donald Trump could make the announcement "within weeks."

The Associated Press, Reuters, Vanity Fair, and other news organizations also reported on the possible departure of Tillerson from the State Department, citing unnamed senior officials.

The New York Times added that under the plan, Senator Tom Cotton would likely replace Pompeo at the helm of the CIA.

Pompeo is a former three-term Republican congressman from Arkansas who has been a strong Trump supporter.

The White House responded to the reports by saying, "There are no personnel announcements at this time."

"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," spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement.

Moments earlier, when asked about the reports ahead of talks with the visiting crown prince of Bahrain, Trump said, "He's here. Rex is here" for the meeting.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters that White House Chief of Staff John Kelly had called the department to assured officials that the reports Tillerson was about to be replaced were not true.

The New York Times said it was not immediately clear if Trump had given his final approval for the changes, which would represent a major shakeup at the top of the U.S. administration.

U.S. media have reported that the U.S. president lost confidence in Tillerson, the former chief executive of energy giant ExxonMobil Corp., who was without previous diplomatic experience.

The president and the secretary of state have often contradicted each other in public statements regarding major international issues.

Tillerson has also been accused by Democrats and some Republicans of weakening U.S. diplomacy by not filling major positions at the State Department.

Late on November 30, the State Department announced that Tillerson is scheduled to travel to Brussels, Vienna, and Paris on December 4-8 for NATO, European Union, and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe meetings.

Based on reporting by The New York Times, AP, Reuters, and Vanity Fair

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/tillerson-pompeo -state-department/28888790.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.