The New York Times reported today that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was going to be replaced in the Trump administration. The report – based solely off of unnamed sources – claimed Tillerson was going to be replaced with current CIA director Mike Pompeo with Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) taking over Pompeo’s position.
The White House issued a statement this afternoon indicating that this report was little more than fake news.
“The President was here today with the Secretary of State, and they engaged in a foreign leader visit, and are continuing to work together to close out what we have seen to be an incredible year,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said while addressing reporters.
Tillerson has come under fire for the way he has operated diplomacy in the Trump administration. He is seen as being the liaison between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who became his close ally to while he was serving as CEO of ExxonMobil. Tillerson is also leading a massive purge of state department bureaucrats to fulfill Trump’s mandate of draining the swamp.
This has caused a great deal of negative press coverage from the mainstream media, who are desperate to paint these disposed bureaucrats in the most favorable light possible. Attacking Tillerson with these unverified rumors, now denied officially by the White House, is apparently their latest attempt to cause confusion and disorder intended to derail Trump’s America First agenda.
“You know, don’t forget, I’m a businessperson and I tell my people, ‘When you don’t need to fill slots, don’t fill them.’ But we have some people that I’m not happy with there,” Trump said regarding Tillerson’s cuts.
“The one that matters is me,” Trump said. “I’m the only one that matters because, when it comes to it, that’s what the policy is going to be.”
As long as Trump is in control, bureaucrats finally have reason to fear for their jobs with a chief executive no longer willing to carry their water. Tillerson will apparently be staying on board to cut the State Department further down to size.