Tillerson to be replaced by CIA chief as top diplomat?

World
Europe

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's political future appeared to hang by a thread Thursday, with President Donald Trump refusing to rule out his imminent departure as secretary of state.

Amid reports of a plan to replace the former oil man with CIA director Mike Pompeo – who is seen as more amenable to the president's hardline views – Trump passed up an opportunity to publicly back his embattled top diplomat. Asked if he wants Tillerson to remain in his post, Trump said only that "Rex is here" at the White House, a break from the usual expression of confidence in such a circumstances.

A senior White House official did not deny reports that Tillerson would be replaced, a rumor that has been circulating for months, but quibbled with the suggestion a plan was being rolled out.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson departs after meetings with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, US, November 30, 2017. /Reuters Photo

White House: 'No personnel announcements at this time'

The New York Times earlier on Thursday quoted unnamed senior administration officials as saying Trump had soured on Tillerson and was ready for a change at the State Department, probably around the end of the year. The White House did little to scotch the rumors.

"There are no personnel announcements at this time," said Press Secretary Sarah Sanders. "Secretary Tillerson continues to lead the State Department, and the entire cabinet is focused on completing this incredibly successful first year of President Trump's administration."

The State Department said that Tillerson enjoys his job as Washington's top diplomat and intends to stay on. Spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters that White House Chief of Staff John Kelly had called the State Department to assure officials that the reports that he was to be replaced were untrue.

US President Donald Trump looks up as reporters ask questions about the future of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US, November 30, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Trump-Tillerson disagreement on DPRK, Iran

Trump and Tillerson have aired striking differences in public. Trump surprised many observers when he tweeted that Tillerson was "wasting his time" pursuing contacts with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and Tillerson was quoted as having said that the president was a "moron."

The former ExxonMobil executive has also defended the Iran nuclear deal, which Trump last month disavowed.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who has aligned himself with Tillerson's efforts in the DPRK crisis, said when asked about reports the top diplomat may be on the way out: "I make nothing of it, there's nothing to it."

DPRK leader Kim Jong Un (L2) /Reuters Photo

"Certainly, they will have areas of disagreement, when it comes to policy. Of that, there's no doubt, and it's very clear. The secretary has spoken to that himself," Nauert said, insisting that Trump welcomes having policy options to choose from.

It was not clear Thursday whether the president had given final approval to the reported cabinet changes, but he has previously tried to push advisers out rather than sack them outright.

Pompeo: Tough-talking ex-soldier has earned Trump's trust

US media said Thursday that Trump had decided to make CIA chief Pompeo his top diplomat – a plan that would bring another tough-talking military veteran into his cabinet, but hand over a troubled State Department to someone with untested diplomatic skills.

While Tillerson and Trump are not believed to have connected well, over ten months, Pompeo has cut a path into Trump's inner circle with ready praise of the president as he personally delivered many of the Oval Office's crucial daily intelligence briefings.

CIA director Mike Pompeo /Reuters Photo

Pompeo, 53, has echoed Trump's aggressive stance in foreign policy, pledging a more "vicious" CIA, saying Iran needs to pay more dearly for its behavior, and half-joking about the prospect of DPRK leader Kim Jong Un being assassinated.

"If Kim Jong Un should vanish, given the history of the CIA, I'm just not going to talk about it," Pompeo said in October. "Someone might think there was a coincidence."

At the same time, he has not overtly challenged Trump's attacks on the intelligence community's conclusion that Russia meddled extensively in last year's presidential election, attacks that have angered many in the CIA and other spy agencies.

Under the purported plan, Pompeo would be replaced at the CIA by Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas and a hawk on Iran and an important Trump ally on national security issues.

11159km

Source(s): AFP