Pompeo under consideration to replace Tillerson as secretary of state: Report
CIA Director Mike Pompeo is in US President Donald Trump's priority list of possible replacements for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, according to a Politico report.
The report published on Wednesday indicated that more than a half dozen administration officials and outside advisers told the outlet that Trump has leaned on Pompeo for information during his daily national security briefings.
Pompeo has told associates that he expects Trump nominate him to replace Tillerson and that he plans to accept the role if offered, the poll said.
The White House deputy press secretary, Raj Shah, denied that Trump was considering any upcoming staffing changes.
“The president is very pleased with his entire national security team, which includes Secretary Tillerson and Director Pompeo,” Shah said.
“Together, they have led the world toward unprecedented pressure on North Korea, are crushing ISIS in Iraq and Syria and have convinced NATO members to contribute more to the common defense.”
Tillerson's job security has been the subject of speculation for months, since he openly referred to Trump as a “moron” during the July 20 meeting at the Pentagon with members of his national security team and Cabinet members.
A State Department spokesman told Politico that Tillerson has not discussed Pompeo's possible takeover of the agency.
“This has never been a topic discussed during the secretary’s regular breakfast meetings with the director,” State Department spokesman R.C. Hammond said.
“I do know they discuss the national security challenges facing the United States and coordinate how they are implementing the president’s strategies for protecting our country.”
The rumors of a pending “Rexit” were first spread around by CNN in July, when the network cited sources out of the White House in claiming that the top US diplomat was frustrated with Trump’s different viewpoints on important foreign policy matters.
Despite all the allegations, however, Tillerson has said that his relationship with Trump was "good.”
Tensions between Tillerson and Trump have been simmering for months, sometimes visibly as the two have publicly diverged on some of the administration's most crucial foreign policy challenges, including Iran and North Korea.
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