US President Donald Trump's administration has developed a plan to replace Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with the Central Intelligence Agency director.
A senior Trump administration official revealed the information on Thursday, the New York Times reported.
Under the plan, Tillerson would be replaced by CIA director Mike Pompeo. Then Republican Senator Tom Cotton would become CIA director.
The Times, the first to report the plan, said it was not immediately clear whether President Donald Trump had given final approval to the shakeup.
Tillerson’s departure would end a troubled tenure for the former Exxon Mobile chief executive.
The Secretary of State has found himself increasingly at odds with Trump over policy challenges such as North Korea and under fire for his planned cuts at the State Department.
According to the report, White House chief of staff John Kelly developed the transition plan and has discussed it with other officials, the Times reported.
Under his plan, the staff reshuffle would happen around the end of the year or shortly afterward.
Tillerson’s departure has been widely rumoured for months, with attention focused on Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the United Nations, as his likely replacement.
But Pompeo, a former three-term member of Congress, has increasingly moved to the forefront as he has gained Trump’s trust on national security matters.
