Rex Tillerson Ousted, Mike Pompeo To Be New Secretary Of State

WASHINGTON, DC — Rex Tillerson, President Donald Trump's Secretary of State with whom the president has had a strained relationship and who once reportedly said Trump was a "moron," was ousted from his position on Tuesday and replaced with CIA Director Mike Pompeo. Tillerson apparently found out he was fired through Trump's Tweet announcing the shakeup.

The move comes ahead of a high-stakes talk with North Korea and just hours after Tillerson had returned to Washington from a trip to Africa.

"Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State," Trump tweeted. "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!"

Tillerson had said he planned to stay, though his relationship with Trump had been strained for months. In October, NBC News reported that Tillerson had called the president "a moron" after a meeting at the Pentagon, though Tillerson denied he ever said that. After the NBC report about the "moron" comment, Tillerson called a news conference to say he didn't plan to step down.

Steve Goldstein, the under secretary for public affairs at the State Department, said in a statement that Tillerson was officially notified he had been fired through Trump's tweet Tuesday morning, CNN reports.

"The Secretary had every intention of remaining because of the tangible progress made on critical national security issues," Goldstein said in a statement posted to Twitter. "He established and enjoyed relationships with his counterparts.

"The Secretary will miss his colleagues at the Department of State and enjoyed working together with the Department of Defense in an uncommonly robust relationship. The Secretary did not speak to the President this morning and is unaware of the reason, but he is grateful for the opportunity to serve, and still believes strongly that public service is a noble calling and not to be regretted. We wish Secretary-Designate Pompeo well."

According to CNN, Goldstein, one of Tillerson's top aides, has since been fired.

Tillerson made a statement at the State Department press briefing room Tuesday, saying what was most important was an orderly transition. He said his last day would be March 31 and starting Wednesday, his duties would be delegated to Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan.

The White House said the decision to replace Tillerson was made Friday while he was in Africa on a diplomatic trip. He flew home a day early, and told reporters he did so because he had been sick in Africa and had two nearly sleepless nights as he dealt with issues, including the announcement the president would meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"I felt like, look, I just need to get back," Tillerson told reporters.

A senior White House official familiar with Trump's plans told reporters that Trump wanted a new team in place ahead of the talks with the North Korean leader and ongoing trade negotiations.

The White House later released a statement from Trump that made no mention of Tillerson, focusing instead on Pompeo and Haspel.

"I am confident he is the right person for the job at this critical juncture," Trump said. "He will continue our program of restoring America’s standing in the world, strengthening our alliances, confronting our adversaries, and seeking the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

Trump and Tillerson have had a rocky relationship from the start. Trump never seemed to click with Tillerson, who had left his job as chief of ExxonMobil to serve under the administration.

Trump also undermined Tillerson for suggesting he should negotiate with North Korea over its nuclear program. Tillerson was "wasting his time," the president tweeted at the time.

Gina Haspel, the deputy CIA Director will replace Pompeo at the agency. While Trump touted her as the first woman to hold the position, Haspel has a controversial past. She helped oversee the torture of at least two people at a CIA station in Thailand. It's also believed that she played a role in the destruction of the videotapes of those interrogations.

The Associated Press and Patch's Colin Miner contributed to this report.

Patch will update this report.

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