Trump ousts Tillerson as Secretary of State, replaces him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo

President Donald Trump on Monday replaced Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with current CIA director Mike Pompeo.

Taking to twitter 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!"

Pompeo will replace him at the State Department, and Gina Hapsel - the deputy director at the CIA - will succeed him at the CIA, becoming the first woman to run the spy agency, if confirmed.

Trump also announced the appointment of Gina Haspel to head the Central Intelligence Agency - the first woman selected for the agency's top post. "Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!" he tweeted.

In a statement Trump praised both Pompeo and Haspel.

"I am proud to nominate the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Mike Pompeo, to be our new Secretary of State," Trump said. "Mike graduated first in his class at West Point, served with distinction in the U.S. Army, and graduated with Honors from Harvard Law School. He went on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives with a proven record of working across the aisle."

The president continued, "Gina Haspel, the Deputy Director of the CIA, will be nominated to replace Director Pompeo and she will be the CIA's first-ever female director, a historic milestone. Mike and Gina have worked together for more than a year, and have developed a great mutual respect."

Trump also had words of praise for Tillerson: "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."

OneIndia News