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U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was ousted Tuesday after months of strained relations with President Donald Trump, who sometimes used tweets to disparage the former Exxon Mobil CEO’s efforts at international diplomacy, Bloomberg reports.
Trump said he is nominating CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace Tillerson.
"I am proud to nominate the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Mike Pompeo, to be our new Secretary of State,” Trump said in a statement.
“As Director of the CIA, Mike has earned the praise of members in both parties by strengthening our intelligence gathering, modernizing our defensive and offensive capabilities, and building close ties with our friends and allies in the international intelligence community,” Trump said. “I have gotten to know Mike very well over the past 14 months, and I am confident he is the right person for the job at this critical juncture. He will continue our program of restoring America’s standing in the world, strengthening our alliances, confronting our adversaries, and seeking the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”