<p>Outgoing US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson did not speak to President Donald Trump before he was sacked Tuesday and has not been given a reason for his ouster, a top aide said.</p>

<p>&quot;The secretary did not speak to the president this morning and is unaware of the reason, but he is grateful for the opportunity to serve, and still believes strongly that public service is a noble calling and not to be regretted,&quot; Undersecretary of State Steve Goldstein tweeted.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Secretary did not speak to the President this morning and is unaware of the reason, but he is grateful for the opportunity to serve, and still believes strongly that public service is a noble calling and not to be regretted.<br />
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We wish Secretary-Designate Pompeo well</p>
&mdash; Steve Goldstein (@UnderSecPD) <a href="https://twitter.com/UnderSecPD/status/973554432926511105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Tillerson arrived back in Washington before dawn on Tuesday after a tour of African countries and a few hours later Trump announced abruptly on Twitter that he was to be replaced by CIA director Mike Pompeo.</p>

<p>&quot;We wish Secretary-Designate Pompeo well,&quot; Goldstein -- who is undersecretary of state for public affairs and public diplomacy -- said, in a series of tweets from his official account.</p>

<p>&quot;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,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>&quot;The secretary will miss his colleagues at the Department of State and enjoyed working together with the Department of Defense in an uncommonly robust relationship,&quot; he added, in a nod to Tillerson&#39;s close working relationship with Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Secretary will miss his colleagues at the Department of State and enjoyed working together with the Department of Defense in an uncommonly robust relationship.</p>
&mdash; Steve Goldstein (@UnderSecPD) <a href="https://twitter.com/UnderSecPD/status/973554431911497728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Secretary did not speak to the President this morning and is unaware of the reason, but he is grateful for the opportunity to serve, and still believes strongly that public service is a noble calling and not to be regretted.<br />
<br />
We wish Secretary-Designate Pompeo well</p>
&mdash; Steve Goldstein (@UnderSecPD) <a href="https://twitter.com/UnderSecPD/status/973554432926511105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Outgoing US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson did not speak to President Donald Trump before he was sacked and has not been given a reason for his ouster, a top aide said

Outgoing US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson did not speak to President Donald Trump before he was sacked Tuesday and has not been given a reason for his ouster, a top aide said. "The secretary did not speak to the president this morning and is unaware of the reason, but he is grateful for the opportunity to serve, and still believes strongly that public service is a noble calling and not to be regretted," Undersecretary of State Steve Goldstein tweeted. The Secretary did not speak to the President this morning and is unaware of the reason, but he is grateful for the opportunity to serve, and still believes strongly that public service is a noble calling and not to be regretted. We wish Secretary-Designate Pompeo well — Steve Goldstein (@UnderSecPD) March 13, 2018 × Tillerson arrived back in Washington before dawn on Tuesday after a tour of African countries and a few hours later Trump announced abruptly on Twitter that he was to be replaced by CIA director Mike Pompeo. "We wish Secretary-Designate Pompeo well," Goldstein -- who is undersecretary of state for public affairs and public diplomacy -- said, in a series of tweets from his official account. "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," he said. "The secretary will miss his colleagues at the Department of State and enjoyed working together with the Department of Defense in an uncommonly robust relationship," he added, in a nod to Tillerson's close working relationship with Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis. The Secretary will miss his colleagues at the Department of State and enjoyed working together with the Department of Defense in an uncommonly robust relationship. — Steve Goldstein (@UnderSecPD) March 13, 2018 × The Secretary did not speak to the President this morning and is unaware of the reason, but he is grateful for the opportunity to serve, and still believes strongly that public service is a noble calling and not to be regretted. We wish Secretary-Designate Pompeo well — Steve Goldstein (@UnderSecPD) March 13, 2018 ×

Tillerson 'unaware' of reason for sacking by Trump

<p>US&nbsp;President Donald Trump on Sunday dismissed the prospect of talks with North Korea as a waste of time a day after his own secretary of state said the United States was maintaining open lines of communication with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.</p>

<p>&quot;I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man,&quot; Trump wrote on Twitter, using his sarcastic nickname for Kim and seeming to contradict the top US&nbsp;diplomat.</p>

<p>Trump, who has traded insults and threats with Kim in recent weeks amid escalating tensions over Pyongyang&rsquo;s nuclear and missile programs, later tweeted that his White House predecessors, Bill Clinton, George W&nbsp;Bush and Barack Obama, had all &quot;failed&quot; on North Korea by &quot;Being nice to Rocket Man,&rdquo;</p>

<p>&ldquo;So why would it work now?&quot; he asked.</p>

<p>Kim succeeded his father, Kim Jong Il, as North Korean leader in 2011, during Obama&#39;s administration. Previous presidents negotiated with Pyongyang but ultimately failed to prevent it from pressing ahead with its internationally condemned weapons programs.</p>

<p>Tillerson disclosed on Saturday that the United States was directly communicating with North Korea on its nuclear and missile programs but that Pyongyang had shown no interest in dialogue.</p>

<p>&quot;Save your energy Rex, we&#39;ll do what has to be done!&quot; Trump said.</p>

<p>Tillerson said during a trip to China that the United States had multiple direct channels of communication with Pyongyang, the first such disclosure from the Trump administration, and that it was probing North Korea to see whether it was interested in dialogue.</p>

<p>Tillerson expressed hope for reducing tensions with North Korea, which is fast advancing toward its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.</p>

<p>&quot;We are probing, so stay tuned,&quot; Tillerson told a small group of reporters. &quot;We ask: &#39;Would you like to talk?&#39;&quot; He said the United States had &quot;a couple of, three channels open to Pyongyang.&quot;</p>

<p><strong>Aides downplay communication channels</strong></p>

<p>A senior Trump administration official, asked for clarification about Trump&#39;s Sunday morning tweets, played down the significance of the communication channels.</p>

<p>&quot;At a time when North Korea is continuing its provocations, the president does not think now is the time to negotiate with them,&quot; the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.</p>

<p>The official also said that to the extent that diplomatic channels exist between Washington and Pyongyang, they are aimed at securing the return of Americans detained by North Korea.</p>

<p>RC&nbsp;Hammond, an adviser to Tillerson, denied that his boss had been undercut by Trump&rsquo;s tweets and rejected any suggestion that the secretary of state should resign.</p>

<p>&quot;Let&#39;s resign the idea of resignation. The President just made it clear to the Kim regime the diplomatic offer on the table is cooling,&quot; Hammond said on Twitter.</p>

<p>He also downplayed any contacts.</p>

<p>&quot;Channels have been open for months. They&#39;ve been unused and cooling for months,&quot; Hammond wrote.</p>

<p>State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert made a similar point on Sunday. &quot;Diplomatic channels are open for #KimJongUn for now. They won&#39;t be open forever,&quot; she wrote on Twitter.</p>

<p>U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, wrote on Twitter: &quot;If Tillerson is wasting his time, it&rsquo;s only because his boss fails to understand the catastrophic consequences of war on Korean Peninsula.&quot;</p>

<p>Trump&#39;s rhetoric on North Korea has run the gamut, from personal attacks on Kim to veiled military threats, from a denial of any interest in talks to an insistence that he would prefer a diplomatic solution.</p>

<p>After announcing new US&nbsp;sanctions on North Korea last month, he acknowledged diplomacy was still possible, asking: &quot;Why not?&quot;. But he has also frequently declared that he had military options at its disposal, although US&nbsp;officials and outside experts have long said a U.S. strike on North Korea would risk massive casualties.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Trump wrote on Twitter that he 'is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man'

US President Donald Trump on Sunday dismissed the prospect of talks with North Korea as a waste of time a day after his own secretary of state said the United States was maintaining open lines of communication with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. "I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man," Trump wrote on Twitter, using his sarcastic nickname for Kim and seeming to contradict the top US diplomat. Trump, who has traded insults and threats with Kim in recent weeks amid escalating tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs, later tweeted that his White House predecessors, Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama, had all "failed" on North Korea by "Being nice to Rocket Man,” “So why would it work now?" he asked. Kim succeeded his father, Kim Jong Il, as North Korean leader in 2011, during Obama's administration. Previous presidents negotiated with Pyongyang but ultimately failed to prevent it from pressing ahead with its internationally condemned weapons programs. Tillerson disclosed on Saturday that the United States was directly communicating with North Korea on its nuclear and missile programs but that Pyongyang had shown no interest in dialogue. "Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done!" Trump said. Tillerson said during a trip to China that the United States had multiple direct channels of communication with Pyongyang, the first such disclosure from the Trump administration, and that it was probing North Korea to see whether it was interested in dialogue. Tillerson expressed hope for reducing tensions with North Korea, which is fast advancing toward its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland. "We are probing, so stay tuned," Tillerson told a small group of reporters. "We ask: 'Would you like to talk?'" He said the United States had "a couple of, three channels open to Pyongyang." Aides downplay communication channels A senior Trump administration official, asked for clarification about Trump's Sunday morning tweets, played down the significance of the communication channels. "At a time when North Korea is continuing its provocations, the president does not think now is the time to negotiate with them," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official also said that to the extent that diplomatic channels exist between Washington and Pyongyang, they are aimed at securing the return of Americans detained by North Korea. RC Hammond, an adviser to Tillerson, denied that his boss had been undercut by Trump’s tweets and rejected any suggestion that the secretary of state should resign. "Let's resign the idea of resignation. The President just made it clear to the Kim regime the diplomatic offer on the table is cooling," Hammond said on Twitter. He also downplayed any contacts. "Channels have been open for months. They've been unused and cooling for months," Hammond wrote. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert made a similar point on Sunday. "Diplomatic channels are open for #KimJongUn for now. They won't be open forever," she wrote on Twitter. U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, wrote on Twitter: "If Tillerson is wasting his time, it’s only because his boss fails to understand the catastrophic consequences of war on Korean Peninsula." Trump's rhetoric on North Korea has run the gamut, from personal attacks on Kim to veiled military threats, from a denial of any interest in talks to an insistence that he would prefer a diplomatic solution. After announcing new US sanctions on North Korea last month, he acknowledged diplomacy was still possible, asking: "Why not?". But he has also frequently declared that he had military options at its disposal, although US officials and outside experts have long said a U.S. strike on North Korea would risk massive casualties.

Trump contradicts Tillerson, dismisses talks with North Korea as 'waste of time'

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Tillerson 'unaware' of reason for sacking by Trump

Trump contradicts Tillerson, dismisses talks with North Korea as 'waste of time'