US President Donald Trump has fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and has replaced him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo, White House officials said Tuesday, according to The Washington Post.
According to the report, Trump asked Tillerson to step down on Friday, cutting short Tillerson's trip to Africa for his return to Washington on Monday.
Pompeo will reportedly be replaced in the CIA by CIA Deputy Director Gina Hapsel.
“I am proud to nominate the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Mike Pompeo, to be our new Secretary of State,” Trump said in a statement released to The Washington Post. “Mike graduated first in his class at West Point, served with distinction in the U.S. Army, and graduated with Honors from Harvard Law School. He went on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives with a proven record of working across the aisle.”
“Finally, I want to thank Rex Tillerson for his service. A great deal has been accomplished over the last fourteen months, and I wish him and his family well.”