White House chief of staff John Kelly told reporters at the White House on Friday that he broke the news to Rex Tillerson that it was likely President Trump would soon fire him while the outgoing secretary of state was seated on the toilet, according to a report Friday.
Kelly explained to reporters and White House officials, during an off-record-meeting, that Tillerson was suffering from a stomach bug he caught while traveling through Africa last week and was on the toilet when he was given the news, sources told the Daily Beast.
According to the outlet, Kelly’s comments came as a shock to reporters, even though they were said during an off-the-record meeting, given his longstanding relationship with Tillerson and that he doesn’t depart from the administration until the end of the month.
Trump announced Tuesday, via Twitter, that Tillerson was fired as secretary of state and tapped CIA Director Mike Pompeo to succeed him.
