Trump White House Reportedly Looking to Oust Rex Tillerson Within Weeks
President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson are not exactly besties. Tillerson reportedly once called Trump a “fucking moron” and the president has hopped on Twitter to admonish the Secretary of State’s efforts to negotiate with “little rocket man” and North Korea.
Due to this tension, it has long been rumored that the White House would love to get rid of Tillerson and replace him with a more Trump-friendly political figure. Nikki Haley’s name has been floated, among others.
This may finally be happening, according to the New York Times. The paper alleges that Trump and his staff have a plot in place to oust Tillerson from his post within weeks, with plans to replace him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo, senior administration officials have stated.
This would leave the spot of CIA Director wide open, so who does Trump have in mind for the position? Sen. Tom Cotton, of Arkansas, per the Times. The 40-year-old has no real experience in intelligence, but has proven himself to be a “key ally of the president on national security matters.” (He also once said that waterboarding “isn’t torture,” so no reason to fear his appointment to the vastly powerful intelligence service.)
Both Pompeo and Cotton could end up turning both posts, traditionally thought to be fairly apolitical, into major proponents of Trump’s agenda. It would also leave Arkansas without one of their senators, which has proven to be somewhat of an albatross for Alabama.
This is a developing story.
[image via screenshot]
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