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Wednesday 14 March 2018

Tillerson out; Trump names CIA’s Pompeo chief US Diplomat

By JOSH LEDERMAN Trump picked as his ad- son’s “moron” comment an unusually close circle However, Undersecretary
ZEKE MILLER ministration’s top Cabinet to senior administration of- that included Chief of Staff of State Steve Goldstein
Associated Press official, the president said ficials last summer — and John Kelly and Vice Presi- and other State Depart-
WASHINGTON (AP) — simply, “we disagreed on the subsequent revelation dent Mike Pence, officials ment officials said that Til-
President Donald Trump things.” in the press — permanently said. Pompeo was brought lerson hadn’t learned he
unceremoniously dumped was being dismissed until
Secretary of State Rex Til- he saw Trump’s early-Tues-
lerson on Tuesday — via day tweet, and hadn’t dis-
Twitter — and picked CIA cussed it directly with the
Director Mike Pompeo to president. Goldstein said
shift from America’s spy Tillerson was “unaware of
chief to its top diplomat. the reason” he was fired
The abrupt announcement and
ended the turbulent tenure “had had every intention
of the man who report- of staying,” feeling he was
edly called the president making progress on nation-
a “moron” but wanted to al security.
stay, and deepened the That was the end for Gold-
disarray in the Trump ad- stein. Hours later, he was
ministration. fired, too.
The plans to oust Tiller- Even after Tuesday’s an-
son had been drawn up nouncement, the White
months ago, but the timing House and Tillerson aides
caught even senior White were still struggling to de-
House officials unawares. termine when and how Til-
The firing was just the lat- lerson would exit.
est in an exodus of admin- After hours of bureaucratic
istration officials, includ- tug-of-war, Tillerson, in his fi-
ing those in Trump’s inner nal somber turn before the
circle, with the president Secretary of State Rex Tillerson waves goodbye after speaking aat the State Department in Wash- cameras,
already setting records for ington, Tuesday, March 13, 2018. President Donald Trump fired Tillerson and said he would nomi- said he would be delegat-
staff turnover and several nate CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace him, in a major staff reshuffle just as Trump dives into ing his responsibilities to
other Cabinet secretar- high-stakes talks with North Korea. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) deputy secretary John
ies facing ethics investiga- Sullivan at the end of the
tions. workday and would resign
However, Trump emphati- No doubt that was true, eroded trust between the into the White House Fri- effective at the end of the
cally rejected talk of chaos one prime example being two men and it was only a day after returning from month.
in his year-old administra- the agreement to restrict matter of time before Tiller- an overseas trip and was “I will now return to pri-
tion as he nears a pivotal Iran’s nuclear efforts. son would be pushed out. offered the job formally by vate life, private citizen, a
moment on the internation- Trump’s change puts Pom- Tillerson himself, his voice phone Saturday. proud American, proud of
al stage with his planned peo, an ardent foe of occasionally quavering, Kelly was given the task of the opportunity I’ve had to
meeting with North Korean the Iran nuclear deal, in gave brief farewell remarks phoning Tillerson, who was serve my country,” he said.
leader Kim Jong Un. He charge of U.S. diplomacy at the State Department, in Africa, but the nature of From the start, the former
declared Tuesday, “I’m re- as the president decides thanking department staff their conversation was up Exxon chief had been an
ally at a point where we’re whether to withdraw the and diplomats around the for dispute. unlikely pick for top diplo-
getting very close to hav- U.S. from the agreement. world — but not mention- White House officials said mat, with no formal experi-
ing the Cabinet and other Tillerson has pushed Trump ing Trump except to say Kelly told Tillerson that ence but a lifetime’s worth
things that I want.” to remain and had been that he’d spoken by phone Trump wanted a change of personal relationships
He said he was nominating pursuing a delicate strate- to the president Tuesday and he should step down. with heads of state and
the CIA’s deputy director, gy with European allies and while Trump was on Air Tillerson, the White House powerful global figures, in-
Gina Haspel, to take over others to try to improve or Force One, hours after the said, asked that Trump wait cluding Russian President
for Pompeo at the intelli- augment the Obama-era tweeted firing. until he returned to the U.S., Vladimir Putin.
gence agency. deal to Trump’s liking. The gulf that separated the and he shortened his trip to Trump had boasted to al-
If confirmed, Haspel would “We were not really think- two men was illustrated Africa — where much of lies that he ‘looked the
be the CIA’s first female di- ing the same,” said Trump. one last time by conflicting his mission revolved around part’ of the nation’s chief
rector Public policy aside, in the stories on the circumstanc- softening the impact of diplomat, but differences
As for Tillerson, the former view of current and former es of the firing. Trump’s recent reported in style and ideology quick-
Exxon Mobil CEO whom White House officials, Tiller- Trump kept the timing to criticisms. ly came to a head.q