White House denies rumors that Secretary of State Tillerson is about to be replaced
On November 30, the White House officially responded to speculation that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was about to be replaced, emphasizing that Mr. Tillerson would remain in office and asserting that "there are no personnel announcements at this time."
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| US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks at a meeting in Washington, DC on November 17. (Source: THX/TTXVN) |
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement that Secretary Tillerson continues to serve as the head of the State Department and the entire Cabinet is now focused on completing the incredibly successful first year of President Donald Trump's administration.
Earlier the same day, a senior official in the administration of US President Donald Trump said the White House planned to replace Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Mike Pompeo.
The New York Times quoted senior officials in President Donald Trump's administration as saying that under the above plan, Republican Senator Tom Cotton would be appointed to replace Mr. Mike Pompeo as CIA Director.
The author of this transition plan, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, has discussed with other officials that this personnel rearrangement will take place around the end of this year or soon after.
It is not yet clear whether President Trump has given his approval for this personnel reshuffle.
According to the source, Mr. Tillerson's departure will end a "tiring" period for the former CEO of oil giant Exxon Mobil due to disagreements between him and President Trump in handling policy challenges such as the North Korea issue, as well as criticism surrounding his plan to cut State Department staff.
There had been speculation that US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley could be appointed to replace Mr Tillerson.
However, Mr. Pompeo, who served three terms as a congressman, has emerged as the leading candidate due to his confidence in President Trump on national security issues./.
According to Vietnamplus
