Trump May Replace Secretary Of State Tillerson With CIA Director Pompeo: Report

US President Donald Trump is planning to oust Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and replace him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo, The New York Times reported Thursday

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Nov, 2017 ) :US President Donald Trump is planning to oust Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and replace him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo, The New York Times reported Thursday.

The change could happen "within the next several weeks," ending his troubled tenure as the nation's top diplomat, the Times said, citing senior administration officials. Vanity Fair, a magazine for current affairs, culture and fashion, separately reported that Pompeo could replace Tillerson as early as January.

Still, The Times added that it is not clear whether President Trump has approved the plan, which was devised by his Chief of Staff John Kelly. Some administration officials had in the past suggested Tillerson could be replaced by U.S.

ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, who is of Indian ancestry, but Pompeo has become the favourite to take the role due to his rapport with Trump, the Times reported. Under the plan, Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican, would replace Pompeo as CIA chief once Pompeo moved to the State Department.

Cotton is expected to take the CIA job if offered, according to the Times.

A spokeswoman for Cotton said his focus is on serving the state of Arkansas in the Senate. Reports for months have painted a picture of a tense working relationship between the president and his top diplomat.

In October, NBC news reported that Tillerson considered leaving the job and called Trump a "moron" during the summer. The secretary of State then delivered a remarkable, unscheduled statement in which he insisted he "never considered leaving." Tillerson at the time refused to directly address the report that he referred to Trump as a "moron," saying that he would not "deal with petty stuff like that." Trump and Tillerson have also clashed over other issues.

In October, Trump rejected the idea of negotiating with the North Korean regime, saying he told Tillerson he is "wasting his time trying to negotiation with Little Rocket Man." "Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done!" Trump tweeted at the time.

Tillerson, who visited Pakistan last month, reportedly wanted to remain in his position until the end of the year "to retain whatever dignity he could," according to The Times.