White House envisions Tillerson ouster
‘He’s here,’ Trump says when asked about plans to replace the Secretary of State
WASHINGTON— The White House has developed a plan to force out Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, whose relationship with President Donald Trump has been strained, and replace him with Mike Pompeo, the CIA director, within the next several weeks, senior administration officials said Thursday.
Pompeo would be replaced at the CIA by Sen. Tom Cotton, a Repub- lican from Arkansas who has been a key ally of the president on national security matters, according to the White House plan. Cotton has signalled that he would accept the job if offered, said the officials, who insisted on anonymity to discuss sensitive deliberations before decisions are announced.
It was not immediately clear whether Trump has given final approval to the plan, but he has been said to have soured on Tillerson and in general is ready to make a change at the State Department. Tillerson was at the White House on Thursday morning, although he was not listed on the White House public schedule.
Asked by reporters Thursday if he wanted Tillerson to stay on the job, Trump said, “He’s here. Rex is here.” Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, later issued a statement. “There are no personnel announcements at this time,” she said. “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.”
John F. Kelly, the White House chief of staff, developed the transition plan and has discussed it with other officials.
At the same time, there was some concern in the White House about the appearance of a rush to the exits given that other senior officials may also leave in the early part of the new year. White House officials were debating whether it would be better to spread out any departures or just get them over with all at once.
The ouster of Tillerson would end a turbulent reign at the State Department for the former Exxon Mobile chief executive, who has been largely marginalized over the past year.
Trump and Tillerson have been at odds over a host of major issues, including the Iran nuclear deal, the confrontation with North Korea and a clash between Arab allies. The secretary was reported to have privately called Trump a “moron” and the president publicly criticized Tillerson for “wasting his time” with a diplomatic outreach to North Korea.
A sign of his fading fortunes in the White House has been the changing views of Kelly. Once a defender of Tillerson, Kelly is described by colleagues as now having mixed opinions, seeing him as a wounded figure who may no longer be able to be as effective as the president needs his secretary to be.