WASHINGTON — The State Department and White House danced around news reports Thursday that President Donald Trump is looking to replace Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo in the coming weeks.
“He remains the secretary of state,” said State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert. “As long as he is serving at the pleasure of the president, he will continue to do that job.”
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders did not directly answer questions from reporters asking if Tillerson was being replaced.
“When the president loses confidence with someone, they will no longer be here,” she said, but also highlighted that Tillerson and Trump were working together as recently as Thursday.
Nauert said that White House Chief of Staff John Kelly called State Department Chief of Staff Margaret Peterlin to say that the news reports of Tillerson’s departure were not true.
One indication that the State Department is signaling that Tillerson will remain in his position for now came Thursday when the State Department announced in a press release that he will be embarking on an international trip to Europe next week.
Nauert did, however, mention that Trump and Tillerson have had their differences.
“They have had areas of disagreement when it comes to policy,” she said. “Where that relationship is today – I can’t say.”
The New York Times, which reported early Thursday that Tillerson would be ousted, Pompeo would take his job and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arlk., would replace Pompeo at the CIA. The newspaper wrote that Trump has soured on Tillerson and is looking to make a change.
There have been signs of a disconnect between Tillerson and Trump in recent months.
On Oct.1, Trump tweeted that Tillerson was “wasting his time” trying to negotiate with North Korea.
On Oct. 5, NBC reported that Tillerson called Trump a “moron” during a meeting at the Pentagon.
Despite all this, Nauert was adamant that Tillerson is going ahead with his responsibilities.
“He will continue doing his duty and serving the American public until – if and when the president decides he no longer wants to keep the secretary in his position.”