We’ve heard rumors for weeks that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was on shaky grounds with President Trump and would soon leave his post. It looks like that may happen before the end of the year according to a report from the New York Times.
Via reporters Peter Baker and Maggie Haberman:
WASHINGTON — The White House has developed a plan to force out Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, whose relationship with President Trump has been strained, and replace him with Mike Pompeo, the C.I.A. director, within the next several weeks, senior administration officials said on Thursday.
More from the bombshell report:
Mr. Pompeo would be replaced at the C.I.A. by Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas who has been a key ally of the president on national security matters, according to the White House plan. Mr. Cotton has signaled that he would accept the job if offered, said the officials, who insisted on anonymity to discuss sensitive deliberations before decisions are announced.
The report is careful to state that President Trump has not fully approved of the plan, but, even so, it’s more than likely that Tillerson will soon be out at the State Department.
There’s been talk for months that Tillerson was on the outs with the White House. There were even reports that Tillerson actually considered resigning over the summer after he was undercut by Trump. Tillerson reportedly referred to Trump as a “moron” during one meeting, and had to be coaxed back to his position by Vice President Pence.
WATCH: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson tried to resign, referred to Trump as a “moron” after a meeting at the Pentagon in July pic.twitter.com/3voE47ghwk
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) October 4, 2017
The report of Tillerson leaving should be taken seriously. Haberman and Baker are two of the most informed reporters covering President Trump. They have access to the White House most journalists lack. More than likely, we’ll have a new Secretary of State very soon.
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