The long-anticipated resignation of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson could come as soon as January, State Department diplomats told Vanity Fair. "The working knowledge here is that Tillerson will be leaving in late January and [CIA Director Mike] Pompeo will be coming in as quickly as he can following that," one current staffer said.
There is reportedly a replacement already lined up for Pompeo's allegedly soon-to-be-vacated spot. Vanity Fair reports that it is a "retired military officer" who "fits with a broader pattern of [President] Trump tapping battle-tested officers to serve as his top advisers," although separately administration officials told The New York Times that Pompeo's likely successor is "Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas who has been a key ally of the president on national security matters."
Pompeo has reportedly told people in his orbit that he expects to be offered the top State Department position, and that he would accept, Politico wrote earlier this month. "I think part of it is [Pompeo] has signaled his frustrations with his current job, which would make the transition much easier," a State Department staffer told Vanity Fair. "He is already a willing participant to move over to state, which he sees as a much easier, much better job for him in terms of what he wants to do."
Tillerson, for his part, has long signaled wanting out. "I didn't want this job, I didn't seek this job," he told the Independent Journal Review in March. "My wife told me I'm supposed to do this." Now, at least, the end may be in sight. Read the full scoop at Vanity Fair.