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Trump Fires Tillerson

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Rex Tillerson

The Washington Post reports that President Donald Trump has fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in the midst of sensitive negotiations over North Korea’s nuclear program and a potential trade war over tariffs on steel and aluminum.

Reports indicate Trump plans to nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace Tillerson.

Last summer, reports said that Tillerson, a longtime oil executive with close ties to Russia, referred to Trump as a “moron.”

“I am proud to nominate the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Mike Pompeo, to be our new Secretary of State,” Trump said in a statement provided to the Post. “Mike graduated first in his class at West Point, served with distinction in the U.S. Army, and graduated with Honors from Harvard Law School. He went on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives with a proven record of working across the aisle.”

Trump also announced that CIA Deputy Director Gina Haspel will be nominated to replace Pompeo, becoming the first woman to direct the CIA if confirmed.