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Trump says Tillerson ouster is ‘fake news’

Posted at 3:24 PM, Dec 01, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-01 15:24:36-05

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says media speculation that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will leave his job soon is “fake news.”

Trump is responding on Twitter to widespread reports attributed to White House officials describing a plan to oust Tillerson and replace him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

Trump says it’s incorrect that he “fired Rex Tillerson” or that the secretary will be leaving soon. He says Tillerson is “not leaving.”

The president says he and Tillerson disagree on some subjects but adds that “I call the shots.” Trump says he and Tillerson “work well together” and that the U.S. is once again “highly respected.”

Trump’s tweet links to a photograph of Tillerson being sworn into office earlier this year in the Oval Office while Trump and Vice President Mike Pence look on.