President Donald Trump firing Rex Tillerson from secretary of state was "the last of many humiliations" Trump had inflicted on Tillerson, The Washington Post editorial board wrote Tuesday.
Tillerson was "poorly cast" in the secretary job, the board wrote.
"The veteran oil executive never grasped some of the essentials of diplomacy, including the importance of public communication," the board wrote "He badly damaged the State Department by ignoring its professionals, scores of whom departed, while conducting a prolonged and ill-advised reorganization. He disregarded American principles by playing down human rights, and he proved ineffective as a negotiator.
"None of those weaknesses, however, appear to explain why Mr. Tillerson was abruptly dismissed, via tweet, by President Trump on Tuesday — the last of many humiliations the president inflicted on his top diplomat."
The board pointed out Tillerson's actions had run counter to Trump a number of times. Tillerson had resisted Trump's efforts to void the Iran nuclear deal, and opposed moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. When Tillerson said diplomacy was key in North Korea, Trump said Tillerson was wasting his time, but later agreed to a summit, the board noted.
Tillerson took hard lines against Russia, despite Trump, the board wrote.
"Most disturbingly, Mr. Trump would not back up the tough stances that Mr. Tillerson struck, with ample reason, against the misdeeds of Russian ruler Vladimir Putin," the board wrote.
The now-former secretary said he would end his time in the secretary position March 31, The New York Times reported.
"I'll now return to private life, as a private citizen, as a proud American, proud of the opportunity I had to serve my country," Tillerson said in a short statement to reporters in a briefing room.
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