The White House also fired Rex Tillerson's spokesperson after he contested the timing of Tillerson's knowledge of his firing.
President Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a tweet ahead of his visit to California Tuesday morning. The White House announced that Tillerson had been informed of his termination as early as last Friday but Steve Goldstein, Tillerson's spokesperson, said Tuesday that Tillerson had not spoken to the President and was unaware of the firing before reading the tweet.
“The Secretary had every intention of remaining because of the tangible progress made on critical national security issues. He established and enjoyed relationships with his counterparts,” Goldstein said on Twitter.