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Donald Trump SACKS Secretary of State Rex Tillerson hours after he blamed Russia for spy poison attack
Sharing the news in a Twitter post, Donald Trump thanked Rex Tillerson for his service
PRESIDENT Trump has ousted Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a huge upheaval to his national security team.
Sharing the news in a Twitter post, he thanked Rex Tillerson for his service and says Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, the first woman to be picked for the post.
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In a tweet, Donald Trump wrote: "Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job!
"Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen.
"Congratulations to all!"
In a further statement, he added: "Finally, I want to thank Rex Tillerson for his service. A great deal has been accomplished over the last fourteen months, and I wish him and his family well."
FROM POMPEO: Trump's new pick for Secretary of State
I am deeply grateful to President Trump for permitting me to serve as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and for this opportunity to serve as Secretary of State. His leadership has made America safer and I look forward to representing him and the American people to the rest of the world to further America’s prosperity.
Serving alongside the great men and women of the CIA, the most dedicated and talented public servants I have encountered, has been one of the great honours of my life. I am proud of the work we have done on behalf of America and know that the Agency will continue to thrive under the leadership of Gina Haspel.
If confirmed, I look forward to guiding the world’s finest diplomatic cops in formulating and executing the President’s foreign policy. In my time as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, I have worked alongside many remarkable Foreign Service officers and Department of State leaders serving here in the United States and on the very edge of freedom.
I know I will learn from them and, as President Trump set out in his State of Union Address, work hard to ensure that “our nation will forever be safe and strong and proud and mighty and free.”
In a statement, Tillerson revealed he had "every intention of staying" in his post, saying: "The Secretary did not speak to the President and is unaware of the reason, but he is grateful for the opportunity to serve, and still believes strongly that public service is a noble calling."
It comes after Tillerson became the one to break the White House's silence over the Salisbury spy poisoning.
Mr Tillerson said in a statement: "We have full confidence in the UK's investigation and its assessment that Russia was likely responsible for the nerve agent attack."
He added: "There is never a justification for this type of attack - the attempted murder of a private citizen on the soil of a sovereign nation - and we are outraged that Russia appears to have again engaged in such behaviour.
"From Ukraine to Syria - and now the UK - Russia continues to be an irresponsible force of instability in the world."
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Donald Trump says that North Korea has promised not to conduct any missile tests during meetings with the president
In nominating Pompeo, Trump said: "Mike graduated first in his class at West Point, served with distinction in the US Army, and graduated with Honors from Harvard Law School.
"He went on to serve in the US House of Representatives with a proven record of working across the aisle."
But Dr Matthew Mokhefi-Ashton, a US Politics expert at Nottingham Trent University, said: "The ousting of Tillerson shouldn’t come as a particular surprise as it has long been rumoured.
"Many predicted it after unflattering comments about Trump were attributed to Tillerson in Michael Wolfe’s biography.
"However, it is surprising that he is being removed so soon after the announcement of Trump’s upcoming meeting with the North Korean leadership.
"This is part of a wider pattern where anyone who differs from Trump’s leadership seems to be either side-lined or removed."
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Pompeo himself released a statement thanking Trump for his nomination, saying: "I am deeply grateful to President Trump for permitting me to serve as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and for this opportunity to serve as Secretary of State.
"His leadership has made America safer and I look forward to representing him and the American people to the rest of the world to further America’s prosperity."
Trump and Tillerson have had a fraught relationship, with the outgoing Secretary of State reportedly calling Trump a moron after he demanded more nuclear weapons.
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