Senator Hassan Statement on the Firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson

WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan released the following statement today after President Trump announced that he has removed Rex Tillerson from the position of Secretary of State and will nominate Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Mike Pompeo as his replacement:

“I am deeply concerned that our country is now without a confirmed Secretary of State and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency as we face a variety of national security threats at home and abroad,” Senator Hassan said. “I am also disappointed that the President’s decision to remove Secretary Tillerson follows the Secretary’s condemnation of a Russian chemical weapon attack in the United Kingdom – the first of its kind in Europe since World War II and a direct violation of an international treaty barring the use of chemical weapons. With the end of Secretary Tillerson’s tenure, it is critical that the Trump Administration also end its misguided efforts to slash resources and undermine the State Department’s ability to confront the vexing diplomatic challenges that we face around the world. I will continue working with members of both parties to ensure that in the face of the Trump Administration’s erratic and haphazard foreign policy, we do everything we can to keep Granite Staters and Americans safe, secure, and free.”

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