Trump ‘set to sack’ foreign policy chief
DONALD Trump is preparing to sack his secretary of state Rex Tillerson, it was claimed last night.
It comes after Mr Tillerson refused to deny calling the US President a moron.
Mr Trump wants to replace him with CIA director Mike Pompeo. Putting him in charge of US foreign policy would be seen as part of a move to promote more ‘reliable’ allies.
Mr Pompeo, a former Rightwing congressman, has faced accusations from the CIA for being ‘too political’. He has helped the Trump administration by playing down the significance of Russian interference in last year’s election.
Equally controversially, Mr Trump reportedly intends to appoint Senator Tom Cotton – one of the most aggressive hawks in Congress – as the new head of the CIA. The possible
reshuffle, first reported by the New York Times, has followed months of disagreements between Mr Trump and Mr Tillerson, former head of oil giant ExxonMobil.
In October, he passed up the chance to reject reports he had called Mr Trump a ‘moron’ at a meeting in July.
Mr Trump brushed aside reshuffle claims, saying: ‘He’s here. Rex is here.’