White House officials said Chief of Staff John Kelly informed Tillerson on Friday that he would be replaced, but did not specify the timing, CNN reported.
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Goldstein earlier on Tuesday publicly contradicted the White House's official version of events surrounding Tillerson's dismissal. Goldstein said in a statement that Tillerson did not speak to Trump before being fired and was "unaware" of the reasons for his ouster.
Goldstein was also quoted by several US media outlets as saying Tillerson found out he was fired when President Donald Trump sent out a tweet with that information earlier on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump announced the dismissal of Rex Tillerson and confirmed that CIA Director Mike Pompeo will become the new secretary of state.