President Trump fires Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson who is on an African tour and replaces him with CIA Director, Mike Pompeo

In a rather shocking move, President Trump this afternoon fired the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who is currently on a tour of Africa and met with Nigeria’s President Buhari last night.

Trump made the announcement on twitter saying, ‘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!’. 

Its not clear the reason for this shockong move to oust the top diplomat.

In a brief statement sent to the press, Pompeo said he was “grateful” to have worked for the CIA.

Here’s his full statement:“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 honors 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 corps 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 the Union Address, work hard to ensure that ‘our nation will forever be safe and strong and proud and mighty and free.'”