The United States president, Donald Trump, has relieved his Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson of his duties just less than 24 hours after he visited N
The United States president, Donald Trump, has relieved his Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson of his duties just less than 24 hours after he visited Nigeria. Trump announced the move on his Twitter, writing: “Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!”
A senior administrative official said the decision was made for Trump to have a new team in place before upcoming talks with Kim Jong-un. Mike Pompeo, who is the current director of the CIA, will replace Tillerson. Pompeo, on his part, will be replaced by Gina Haspel, who will become the first female director of the CIA.
A statement released by the White House said: “As Director of the C.I.A., Mike has earned the praise of members in both parties by strengthening our intelligence gathering, modernizing our defensive and offensive capabilities, and building close ties with our friends and allies in the international intelligence community. I have gotten to know Mike very well over the past 14 months, and I am confident he is the right person for the job at this critical juncture. He will continue our program of restoring America’s standing in the world, strengthening our alliances, confronting our adversaries, and seeking the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
Tillerson had visited Nigeria on the last leg of his official visits to Africa and met with President Buhari during which they discussed issues of mutual interest to both countries.
