Rex Tillerson has been embattled for months but the battle is lost and the secretary is gone. The former secretary of state was arguably Trump’s splashiest cabinet hire. A former CEO of ExxonMobil, Tillerson stepped into the State Department promising reform and a pragmatic, business-like approach to global politics. However, Tillerson frequently butted heads with President Trump and other members of his administration.
Last year, Tillerson allegedly called Trump a “moron” during a Pentagon meeting, stoking an already strained relationship. Weeks ago, Tillerson promised to serve out the full year, but President Trump isn’t giving him the chance. Since the secretary of state serves at the pleasure of Trump, Tillerson has little choice but to pack his bags.
The move is likely to draw suspicion from President Trump’s critics. Just yesterday, Tillerson blasted Russia for allegedly attacking and poisoning a former Russian spy in the United Kingdom. The attacker used an advanced nerve gas. Tillerson blasted Russia as an “irresponsible force of instability in the world.”
Tillerson also stated:
“We agree that those responsible — both those who committed the crime and those who ordered it — must face appropriately serious consequences. We stand in solidarity with our allies in the United Kingdom and will continue to coordinate closely our responses.”
An in-depth Buzzfeed report previously tied Russia to at least 14 hits on UK soil. Up until now, however, the UK has largely remained mum on the issue. This time, Prime Minister Theresa May has admitted that the Kremlin was most likely involved in the latest attack.
Yet the White House has remained conspicuously quiet on the issue. While President Trump has frequently lambasted other foreign leaders and nations, he’s rarely turned a critical eye to Putin or Russia. So far, the White House has not laid blame for the attack on Russia, citing the need instead to sort through “the details.”
Some allege that Trump has ties to Russia, including foreign loans from Russian billionaires connected to the Kremlin. Some also argue that Russian President Vladimir Putin may have tried to influence American elections to help Trump secure the White House. Tillerson’s firing after his harsh denouncement of Russia is sure to raise some suspicions.
Meanwhile, Tillerson has also taken differing stances from the White House in regards to North Korea. Previously, when Trump was rattling his saber, Tillerson had been urging for restraint. Now that Trump has raised the prospect of meeting with Kim Jong-Un, Tillerson has been urging caution.
Tillerson Struggled At Department of State
At the Department of State, Tillerson struggled to settle in with a largely ossified bureaucracy. Reports from diplomats and others at the State Department hint at a lack of direction, aloofness, and a poor understanding of the intricacies of diplomacy. Reportedly, Tillerson even used a private elevator to get in and out of the State Department and kept interactions with staff to a minimum.
Part of the lack of direction on Tillerson’s part may have been due to an inability to get nominations for State officials through. Besides the Secretary position, many other positions at the Department of State are nominated. However, Tillerson struggled to get White House buy-in for many of the people he wanted to nominate.
Tillerson is widely expected to be replaced by CIA Director Mike Pompeo. Pompeo previously served in Congress as a Republican representative from Kansas. It’s possible that his familiarity with the Federal government will help him provide more direction and support for the State Department itself.
