March 13, 2018 09:39 AM UTC

Tillerson Tweeted into Oblivion

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• by: Colorado Pols

As the Washington Post reports:

Rex Tillerson spent a tumultuous year at the helm of the State Department, frequently undercut by the president he disagreed with on key foreign policy issues and derided by many of his employees who blamed him for marginalizing their role and diplomacy itself.

But after months of denying he intended to resign, Tillerson was ousted Tuesday just as he seemed to be hitting his diplomatic stride. In recent weeks, he grew even more outspoken in his criticism of Russia, more confident that his patient pressure on North Korea was bearing fruit and seemingly more comfortable that he would outlast his many critics in the West Wing.

In the end, no one was more surprised that Tillerson was fired than Tillerson himself. As recently as Monday night, while he was in the air flying back from a week-long trip to Africa, an aide said Tillerson was staying put…

…“The secretary did not speak to the president, and is unaware of the reason,” said Steve Goldstein, undersecretary of public diplomacy for the State Department. [Pols emphasis]

The Secretary of State, fired via Twitter.