Readers remark on the dismissal of Secretary of State Tillerson:
Typical Trump. He likes to surround himself with a phalanx of Yes Men to advance his position as the “smartest man in the room.” Non-conformity must be avoided at all costs. Another sad day for America.
Trump’s nominee to replace Tillerson is Mike Pompeo, current CIA Director and a former far-right House member. He is considered to be a close ally of President Trump. I wonder if President Trump is feeling like he needs some support from his Cabinet.
Another:
Were basing this story on what we have been told. The relationship didn’t seem right from day one, and it’s not nice to call the boss names .We shall see if it was a good decision in short order. Plus in defense of Tillerson it would be hard for a guy who was big time in the private sector to follow somebody’s agenda. I really think he took the job because you’re not supposed to say no when the President ask’s you to serve.
The reader has a couple of good points. I think it all started with Trump’s preoccupation with appearance, because Rex Tillerson surely has the look of a distinguished diplomat – not my deduction, of course, as many other writers have noted about Trump.
But, as the reader points out, he didn’t have the experience to be Secretary of State, having been a private sector guy all his life.
This is probably illustrative of why Trump has been a failure so far – he doesn’t understand how to pick the people with whom he has to work.
BTW, Tillerson wasn’t the only State employee let go today. Conor Finnegan reports on Twitter:
CONFIRMED: Goldstein has been fired by the White House. He was the 4th highest ranking official at
@StateDept, a Trump appointee confirmed unanimously by the Senate.
Haven’t tracked down Mr. Goldstein’s given name. Apparently, his announcement of the dismissal of Tillerson annoyed the White House, or so Kevin Drum surmises.
Of course, maybe this is to distract from the special election in PA-18.
