State Dept.: Tillerson Found Out He Was Fired From Trump’s Tweet

Rex Tillerson did not talk to Donald Trump before he was fired Tuesday and apparently found out from the president’s tweet about it this morning, according to the State Department. A report from The Washington Post—which broke the news of Tillerson’s firing—claimed Trump asked the outgoing secretary of State to step aside last Friday, days before his strongly critical comments against Russia on Monday. However, a statement from Undersecretary of State Steve Goldstein, tweeted by ABC News’ Conor Finnegan, said: “The Secretary had every intention of staying because of the critical progress made in national security. He will miss his colleagues at the Department of State and the foreign ministers he has worked with throughout the world. The Secretary did not speak to the President 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. We wish Secretary Designate Pompeo well.” ABC later reported that Goldstein, who issued the statement contradicting the official account of Tillerson's firing, was himself fired by the White House.