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| White House planning to fire Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State in favour of Mike Pompeo, according to US media report | White House planning to fire Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State in favour of Mike Pompeo, according to US media report |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The White House is reportedly planning to push out Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and replace him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo. | The White House is reportedly planning to push out Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and replace him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo. |
| If Mr Tillerson is ousted, it would be another dramatic shakeup to the Trump administration that has already seen multiple changes to its communications staff and the dismissal or resignation of several top officials. | If Mr Tillerson is ousted, it would be another dramatic shakeup to the Trump administration that has already seen multiple changes to its communications staff and the dismissal or resignation of several top officials. |
| Mr Trump is said to have soured on Mr Tillerson, the New York Times reports, but it is unclear whether he has approved the plan to oust him. | Mr Trump is said to have soured on Mr Tillerson, the New York Times reports, but it is unclear whether he has approved the plan to oust him. |
| The newspaper wrote that Mr Pompeo would be replaced at the CIA by Republican Senator Tom Cotton, who has become a White House ally on national security matters. | The newspaper wrote that Mr Pompeo would be replaced at the CIA by Republican Senator Tom Cotton, who has become a White House ally on national security matters. |
| Republican Senator Bob Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he spoke to Mr Tillerson earlier on Thursday and that the Secretary of State is not planning on being ousted. | |
| Reports have been swirling for months that Mr Tillerson would leave the State Department. | Reports have been swirling for months that Mr Tillerson would leave the State Department. |
| Earlier this year, it was said that Vice President Mike Pence had to persuade the top diplomat to stay with the administration after Mr Tillerson was reportedly unhappy with comments Mr Trump made in a speech to the Boy Scouts of America. But last month, the State Department organised an impromptu press briefing in which the Secretary of State denied reports that he wanted to resign. | |
| Mr Tillerson said he would stay in the Trump administration as “long as he is useful”. Meanwhile, critics have condemned the way he has led the State Department, which | |
| Mr Trump and Mr Tillerson are also reported to have been at odds over a slew of major issues, including the Iran nuclear deal and the confrontation between the US and North Korea over the latter's expanding nuclear weapons programme. The President has said Mr Tillerson is “wasting his time” by trying to solve the crisis with Pyongyang through diplomacy. | |
| The top diplomat is said to have called Mr Trump a “moron” - a report that he has not personally denied. A department spokesperson later said that the “the Secretary does not use that type of language”. |