Corker on Tillerson: ‘I think he’s at peace’

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said in an interview broadcast early Sunday that he thinks former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is “at peace” after being fired.

“I think he’s doing fine,” Corker said on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” noting that he’s talked to Tillerson recently.

“He knows he’s laid the groundwork for North Korea,” Corker said. “He feels like he’s moved things along in a good way.”

Corker also said Tillerson wants to have a good transition with President Trump’s nominee for secretary of State, CIA Director Mike Pompeo. {mosads}

“He’s a class act in that regard,” Corker said.

“I think he’s at peace,” he added. “He obviously wanted to stay a year. He moved beyond that.”

Trump last week removed Tillerson in a move that stunned Washington.

Trump told reporters that he made the decision “by myself,” signaling he did not speak with Tillerson before firing him.

Corker, who has announced his retirement, was also asked during the CBS interview whether he is concerned that Trump seems to be making staffing choices based on ideology and personal beliefs.

“When the president called from Air Force One the other day to let me know what was happening with Rex — as I said to him — every Cabinet member serves at his pleasure. He should have people that he feels he has confidence in,” Corker responded.

“I’ve been on the speakerphone during these debates, OK? Where the president will call. He’ll have his team of people around him in the Oval Office, and we’ll be debating an issue,” he added. “And I do think he likes to hear diverse opinions, but once a decision is made, I think he likes to see it move along quickly. And I think that was one of the frustrations he may have had with Secretary Tillerson.”