President Donald Trump announced the departure of Rex Tillerson as secretary of state on Tuesday, saying he will be replaced by CIA Director Mike Pompeo.
In a tweet, Trump added that Gina Haspel will become the new director of the CIA, “the first woman so chosen.”
“I am deeply grateful to President Trump for permitting me to serve as director of the Central Intelligence Agency and for this opportunity to serve as secretary of state,” Pompeo said in a statement provided by the White House. “His leadership has made America safer and I look forward to representing him and the American people to the rest of the world to further America’s prosperity.”
BREAKING: President Trump tweets that Rex Tillerson has been fired, confirms CIA Director Mike Pompeo will become the Secretary of State. pic.twitter.com/8RwL0lEiW7— MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 13, 2018
Haspel said in a statement: “After 30 years as an officer of the Central Intelligence Agency, it has been my honor to serve as its deputy director alongside Mike Pompeo for the past year. I am grateful to President Trump for the opportunity, and humbled by his confidence in me, to be nominated to be the next Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.”
Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2018
Both positions require Senate confirmation.
Tillerson cut short a trip to five African nations after reportedly being told of the decision. His message was often at odds with that of President Trump, most recently condemning Russia in stronger terms than the White House for a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in the UK.
He also appeared out of the loop when the president accepted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s invitation to meet. “That’s a decision the president took himself. I spoke to him very early this morning about that decision and we had a good conversation,” Tillerson told reporters in Djibouti.
“I want to thank Rex Tillerson for his service,” Trump said in a statement on Tuesday. “A great deal has been accomplished over the last 14 months, and I wish him and his family well.”
