Trump considers plan to replace Tillerson with CIA chief - U.S. officials

[webfact]

Trump considers plan to replace Tillerson with CIA chief - U.S. officials

By John Walcott and Steve Holland

 

A combination photo of Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo (L) on May 11, 2017 and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Washington, U.S., November 28, 2017. REUTERS/Eric Thayer/Yuri Gripas/File Photos

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is considering a plan to oust Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, whose relationship has been strained by the top U.S. diplomat's softer line on North Korea and other differences, senior administration officials said on Thursday.

 

Tillerson would be replaced within weeks by CIA Director Mike Pompeo, a Trump loyalist and foreign policy hard-liner, under a White House plan to carry out the most significant staff shake-up so far of the Trump administration.

 

Republican Senator Tom Cotton, one of Trump's staunchest defenders in Congress, would be tapped to replace Pompeo at the Central Intelligence Agency, the officials told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

 

It was not immediately clear whether Trump had given final approval to the reshuffle, but one of the officials said the president asked for the plan to be put together.

 

Tillerson's long-rumoured departure would end a troubled tenure for the former Exxon Mobil Corp chief executive, who has been increasingly at odds with Trump over issues such as North Korea and under fire for planned cuts at the State Department.

 

Tillerson was reported in October to have privately called Trump a "moron," something the secretary of state sought to dismiss.

 

That followed a tweet by Trump that Tillerson should not waste his time by seeking negotiations with North Korea over its nuclear and missile program, widely seen as a sign of the secretary of state being marginalized.

 

Trump has soured on Tillerson mostly because of the "moron" report, his less confrontational approach on North Korea and differences over the Qatar crisis, one senior U.S. official said.

 

His slow approach to filling diplomatic openings at the State Department is also a factor, another official said.

Trump asked John Kelly, the White House chief of staff, to develop the transition strategy, and it has been discussed with other officials, one administration source said.

 

Under the plan, which has been in the works for weeks and was first reported by the New York Times, the reshuffle would happen around the end of the year or shortly afterward, the official said.

 

Asked whether he wanted Tillerson to remain in his job, Trump sidestepped the question, telling reporters at the White House: "He's here. Rex is here."

 

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Kelly told Tillerson's chief of staff on Thursday the reports on Tillerson being replaced were not true. Nauert added that Tillerson "serves at the pleasure of the president."

 

Asked about Tillerson, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the secretary of state remained in his post. "When the president loses confidence in someone, they will no longer serve here," she said.

 

Pompeo, a former congressman, has moved to the forefront as he has gained Trump's trust on national security matters.

 

Tillerson, 65, has spent much of his tenure trying to smooth the rough edges of Trump's unilateralist "America First" foreign policy, with limited success. On several occasions, the president publicly undercut his diplomatic initiatives.

 

A source familiar with Tillerson’s thinking said the secretary of state's original plan when he took the job was to leave in February.

If carried out, the staff changes would be the latest in a string of firings or resignations in the Trump administration including the departures of the chief of staff, national security adviser and FBI director.

 

FOREIGN POLICY HARDLINER

 

Pompeo, 53, has taken tough foreign policy stands, especially on Iran, and talked about how his agency is becoming more aggressive and how he has been focusing on deploying more CIA officers overseas.

 

   He has offered effusive praise for Trump despite the president's criticism of U.S. intelligence agencies, some of which concluded that Russia conducted an influence campaign to boost Trump in the 2016 presidential election.

 

Tillerson has at times put distance between himself and Trump's positions.

 

At a private dinner of foreign policy veterans last month, a senior White House official criticized Tillerson for failing to support the president's agenda, according to a person familiar with the matter.

 

Tillerson joined Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in pressing Trump not to pull the United States out of an agreement with Iran and world powers over Tehran's nuclear capabilities.

 

Tillerson has taken a more hawkish view than Trump on Russia and tried to mediate a dispute after four Arab nations launched a boycott of Qatar.

 

In September in Beijing, Tillerson said Washington was probing North Korea to see whether it was interested in dialogue, and had multiple direct channels of communication with Pyongyang.

 

The next day, Trump appeared to dismiss those efforts in a tweet, telling Tillerson he was "wasting his time."

 

Tensions have also run high between Tillerson and veteran diplomats who oppose his proposed staff and budget cuts.

 

(Reporting by John Walcott and Steve Holland Additional reporting by Jonathan Landay, David Brunnstrom, Patricia Zengerle and Yara Bayoumy; Writing by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Alistair Bell and Jonathan Oatis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-12-01

[stevenl]

They will wait a bit with this, in order to prevent Tillerson having to pay taxes on the sale of his Exxon shares.

[zaphod reborn]

Tillerson went rogue when he condemned Myanmar for its treatment of the Rohingya.  He's out because Trump is clearly an anti-Muslim racist and won't tolerate Muslim sympathizers in his administration.

[FreddieRoyle]

It seems that Tillerson is taking too much initiative on his own and Trump is finding it hard to control him. It makes sense to replace him, after all if you feel like you can't trust your team-mate to keep on-side then better to not have him at all. It probably boils down to them both being too similar, classic alpha males, much like putting 2 male silverbacks in an enclosure - there's going to be alot of chest beating and trouble.

 

Infighting is the last thing Trump needs now, it distracts from the great stuff he is doing. Just look at the stock market - new record highs! and unemployment dropping too. Great to see America getting back on her feet again.

[boomerangutang]

Oath of Office, re-written by Trump

 

II promise to serve Mr. Trump Sr. primarily, and the American people secondarily.

I will praise him at every opportunity.

I will not say or tweet anything, if I think he's doing or tweeting something wrong or dangerous to Americans.

I will put protectionism and America-first above good relations with friendly countries.

Protecting Trumps' and Kushners' financial interests worldwide will take precedence over diplomatic concerns.

I will support Mr. Trump's racist sentiments, no matter how incendiary.

I will support Mr. Trump every time he blames Hillary or Obama for petty things.

I will support Mr. Trump in all his tweets and statements, regardless of whether there's truth behind them.

I will support Mr. Trump starting wars, no matter if he does so while angry, offended, recrimanatory, hopeless, petty or otherwise mentally deranged.

So help me God.

 

 

 

Edited December 1, 2017 by boomerangutang

[Skeptic7]

Hate to see Tillerson go. He is honorable, intelligent and reasonable. And much more presidential than the Moron In Chief. He is definitely out of place in this pathetic parade of dunces. 

 

Summed up the 70 year old brat in one word...moron.

 

Obviously the old adage proves accurate once again...

 

...the truth hurts 

[KKr]

14 minutes ago, Skeptic7 said:

Hate to see Tillerson go. He is honorable, intelligent and reasonable. And much more presidential than the Moron In Chief. He is definitely out of place in this pathetic parade of dunces. 

 

Summed up the 70 year old brat in one word...moron.

 

Obviously the old adage proves accurate once again...

 

...the truth hurts 

If he leaves the administration now, he has three years to prepare a campaign to run for President, and a lot of tailwind from leaving / being ousted

[helpisgood]

1 hour ago, FreddieRoyle said:

It seems that Tillerson is taking too much initiative on his own and Trump is finding it hard to control him. It makes sense to replace him, after all if you feel like you can't trust your team-mate to keep on-side then better to not have him at all. It probably boils down to them both being too similar, classic alpha males, much like putting 2 male silverbacks in an enclosure - there's going to be alot of chest beating and trouble.

 

Infighting is the last thing Trump needs now, it distracts from the great stuff he is doing. Just look at the stock market - new record highs! and unemployment dropping too. Great to see America getting back on her feet again.

Yes, you are right that the two men should be able to work together.  However, not that I was ever that happy about a top Exxon guy being Sec.of State, it is obvious that Tillerson is, by far, the more sensible of the two.  Just recall how Trump publicly sought to undermine Tillerson's efforts to negotiate with nuclear North Korea.  Surely, the president could have communicated his opinion privately and not publicly embarrass his top diplomat.  If it wasn't real, it would be comical.

 

As for America getting back on her feet, I think the stock market is not a reliable indicator of how well the non-wealthy classes are doing.  And, do the unemployment figures include those who have dropped out from despair and the quality of work that many Americans are stuck with?  Health care is a still a scandal for a country as opulent as the USA, and many employers still pay their employees wages that no family can live on. 

 

What has the former real estate salesperson done to truly "drain the swamp"?  Surely it cannot be found by any legislation passed through a Congress controlled by his own party as he also filled his administration with wealthy people - some of which are clearly far from being qualified to do their assigned jobs - and let's not forget his Wall St. bankers.  America is far from getting back on her feet.  "Sad!" 

[BuaBS]

A CIA chief in the white house , the biggest venomous snake of the swamp. Can it get much worse ?

[Langsuan Man]

This is all being orchestrated by the first daughter,  Ivanka, she has a bug up a certain part of her anatomy because Secretary of State Rex Tillerson did not bolster her big moment at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in India

 

Quote

"Rex doesn't like the fact that he's supposed to be our nation's top diplomat, and Jared and now Ivanka have stepped all over Rex Tillerson for a long time," the source said. "So now, he's not sending senior people from the State Department to support this issue. He's not supporting Ivanka Trump."

source: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/11/24/politics/rex-tillerson-ivanka-trump-india-trip/index.html

[ilostmypassword]

2 hours ago, Skeptic7 said:

Hate to see Tillerson go. He is honorable, intelligent and reasonable. And much more presidential than the Moron In Chief. He is definitely out of place in this pathetic parade of dunces. 

 

Summed up the 70 year old brat in one word...moron.

 

Obviously the old adage proves accurate once again...

 

...the truth hurts 

Really? This is the guy who's enthusastically engaged in the wholesale gutting of the State Department. Trust Trump to find someone even worse to replace him.

[Thaidream]

Glad to see Tillerson go- but replaced by Pompeo-CIA and ultra rightist- horrid choice. If Trump had any real guts he would get Mitt Romney in as Secretary of State and bring some sense and proper decorum to the job.

Instead, Trump will continue to make absurd tweets criticizing every Muslim in the World and expect the Middle East elite to kiss is butt .. in public maybe...however, they actually hate him and will undermine him whenever possibly like picking a fight with Qatar or pushing the US to the brink of war with Iran .

 

Trump truly is a moron and a fool.  He reminds mevof a  racist man locked in the 60s and 70s sitting back and saying if we could just get rid of the Mexicans; the Muslims; and the blacks everything would be fine and all those jobs would be available for the real Americans. 

 

Trump is doing nothing for poor and the middle class and everything for his wealthy cohorts. The stock market increase is based on growth figures which were initiated under the Obama Administration and the unemployment figures are low because those with long term unemployment have dropped out of the workforce or are taking jobs paying the minimum wage and struggling.  But not to worry- Trump's tax cut will give most people a $1.50 per day extra to spend. Break out the Champagne. Happy days are here again!!!  I will give Tillerson credit for one thing- he pegged Trump for what he is- a moron.

[selftaopath]

1 hour ago, ilostmypassword said:

Really? This is the guy who's enthusastically engaged in the wholesale gutting of the State Department. Trust Trump to find someone even worse to replace him.

Yea and one of his BFFs is Putin. So in that regard I don't trust him.... one bit. Oh and then when did an "oil guy" ever do anything for America/environment? So he can f......... off too. Hope he takes the puffball with him. 

[boomerangutang]

4 hours ago, Skeptic7 said:

Hate to see Tillerson go. He is honorable, intelligent and reasonable. And much more presidential than the Moron In Chief. He is definitely out of place in this pathetic parade of dunces. 

Summed up the 70 year old brat in one word...moron.

Obviously the old adage proves accurate once again......the truth hurts 

Tillerson is a Texas hound dog.  He's about as good an appointment as can be expected by Trump, but Trump is renown for recommending butt plugs for high positions.

Tillerson has been in office for months, and what has he done?  Essentially nothing.  He hasn't even appointed a deputy or put any effort into filling dozens/hundreds of empty positions at State.  Some of those empty chairs are career people who quit as protest against Trump.  

 

Tillerson grumbles about Trump to the pizza delivery boy, and the guy busking for quarters outside the 7-11, but Tillerson is too Texas chicken shit to confront the prez.  BTW (and no one in the WH knows this), ....Tillerson doesn't work for Trump, HE WORKS FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.

 

3 hours ago, BuaBS said:

A CIA chief in the white house , the biggest venomous snake of the swamp. Can it get much worse ?

Bush Sr. was former head of CIA b4 becoming prez.  He, along with all Republican presidents in the past 50  years, was boosted massively by the cadre of right wing dirty tricksters.  Kim doesn't need to send nukes to destroy the USA.  It's doing it on its own, with people like Roger Stone, Ailes, Manafort, Flynn, Trumps Sr and Jr, Atwater and the many other financed-by-billionaire right wing dirty tricksters.

[Morch]

1 hour ago, Thaidream said:

Glad to see Tillerson go- but replaced by Pompeo-CIA and ultra rightist- horrid choice. If Trump had any real guts he would get Mitt Romney in as Secretary of State and bring some sense and proper decorum to the job.

Instead, Trump will continue to make absurd tweets criticizing every Muslim in the World and expect the Middle East elite to kiss is butt .. in public maybe...however, they actually hate him and will undermine him whenever possibly like picking a fight with Qatar or pushing the US to the brink of war with Iran .

 

Trump truly is a moron and a fool.  He reminds mevof a  racist man locked in the 60s and 70s sitting back and saying if we could just get rid of the Mexicans; the Muslims; and the blacks everything would be fine and all those jobs would be available for the real Americans. 

 

Trump is doing nothing for poor and the middle class and everything for his wealthy cohorts. The stock market increase is based on growth figures which were initiated under the Obama Administration and the unemployment figures are low because those with long term unemployment have dropped out of the workforce or are taking jobs paying the minimum wage and struggling.  But not to worry- Trump's tax cut will give most people a $1.50 per day extra to spend. Break out the Champagne. Happy days are here again!!!  I will give Tillerson credit for one thing- he pegged Trump for what he is- a moron.

 

He reminds me of a  racist man locked in the 60s and 70s sitting back and saying if we could just get rid of the Mexicans; the Muslims; and the blacks everything would be fine and all those jobs would be available for the real Americans. 

 

 

 

[boomerangutang]

Oh, but don't get rid of those negros, err, sorry, ....those blacks who are great at running, jumping and ball control. We need them for the Olympics. 

 

Oh, and those Mexicans, the ones who drive around the neighborhood with lawnmowers in the back of their beat-up pick-trucks, .....we need those types also.  Who's gonna clean the swimming pools, cook the enchiladas, and vacuum the drapes? (ask Ivana Trump about the Mexican workers/drapes connection).

[Thaidream]

Never in my almost  50 years of voting in American elections have I ever seen a President so disconnected from reality and under the influence of an alt right agenda that receives accolades from  the KKK; anti Muslim and anti Gay hate groups as well as the Evangelical Christian movement. Trump has not initiated  one program in his year in office that will help the poor or middle America. His agenda is not making America great but making America a pariah in the World community.

This agenda has to be fought and stopped on all levels. Trump's latest twitter tirade was rightfully confronted by the British PM who pointed out that the tweets were originally from a British hate group.  Doesn't Trump know how to use Google or simply ask one of his minions for advice.

The meglomaniac in chief seems to believe he is all knowing on all things and thus doesn't need any real advice. A good executive fills their inner circle with both pro and con advisors so as to give a realistic picture of the facts so an educated decision can be made. Instead Trump listens to alt right propagandists such as Bannon and conspiracy theorists such as Alex Jones.

I honestly believe Trump is being played for a fool by the alt right and maybe possibly be mentally ill.  It's time for the 25th Amendment to be enacted and this man removed from the Presidency before he can do more harm or even start a war.

Every time I think it can't get any worse- it does.

[BuaBS]

27 minutes ago, boomerangutang said:

Bush Sr. was former head of CIA b4 becoming prez.  He, along with all Republican presidents in the past 50  years, was boosted massively by the cadre of right wing dirty tricksters.  Kim doesn't need to send nukes to destroy the USA.  It's doing it on its own, with people like Roger Stone, Ailes, Manafort, Flynn, Trumps Sr and Jr, Atwater and the many other financed-by-billionaire right wing dirty tricksters.

Reagan was CIA ?

[boomerangutang]

1 minute ago, BuaBS said:

Reagan was CIA ?

No, Reagan was a 2nd rate actor before becoming prez.  Sounds like Trump, doesn't it?

other similarities between the 2 men:

>>>  both believe in the silly myth of 'trickle down' economics.

>>>  both became dotards while presidents.  In Reagan's case, wife Nancy took over.  For Trump, who will take over when he's totally incapacitated?  Jared?

>>>  both wasted federal money massively.  Probably the worst spending by Reagan was the 'Star Wars' pie-in-the-sky wasting a trillion dollars on a non-working apparatus to shoot down missiles.

Trump wants to increase defense spending massively (more than the military asks for). 

[thaihome]

Mike Pompeo at State Would Enable Trump's Worst Instincts

If Rex Tillerson is replaced, one barrier keeping the president in check will fall away.

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/11/pompeo-trump-tillerson/547217/

[Langsuan Man]

18 hours ago, boomerangutang said:

Probably the worst spending by Reagan was the 'Star Wars' pie-in-the-sky wasting a trillion dollars on a non-working apparatus to shoot down missiles.

Probably the best bang for the buck of the Cold War

 

The Russians couldn't keep up with our massive spending so the Soviet Union fell without a shot,  pretty favorable trade off, IMHO