Tillerson warns about Russia

President Donald Trump threw US diplomacy into fresh turmoil by firing his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, and promoting two officials condemned by human rights groups for endorsing or overseeing torture.

A visibly shaken and demoralised Tillerson spoke briefly at the state department on Tuesday, without taking reporters' questions. He did not criticise Trump's decision but nor did he include the president in a list of thank yous.

He warned of Russia's "troubling behaviour and actions" in a parting statement. "Russia must assess carefully as to how its actions are in the best interests of the Russian people and of the world more broadly," he said.

"Continuing on their current trajectory is likely to lead to greater isolation on their part, a situation which is not in anyone's interest."

The US has accused Russia of actively interfering in the 2016 presidential election, stealing Democratic party communications and pushing out disinformation through social media, claims Moscow denies.

Kremlin yesterday said ties with the US could not get any worse under next Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, after the sacking of Rex Tillerson, reported AFP.

"It's hardly possible to fall below the floor, so it is unlikely things will get any worse in this regard," President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a response to a question about the high-level staff changes in the US administration.

"In any case there of course remains the hope of a constructive and sober approach to bilateral ties. There is always this hope," Peskov said at a regular press briefing.

In his farewell remarks, Tillerson said he received a call “a little after noon time” from Trump and chief of staff John Kelly “to ensure we have clarity as to the days ahead”. He added: “What is most important is to ensure an orderly and smooth transition during a time that the country continues to face significant policy and national security challenges.”

FIRING WON'T AFFECT TALKS

China voiced hope Trump's sudden firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will not impact bilateral relations or planned talks between the US president and North Korea's leader.

Beijing is believed to have a positive assessment of Tillerson, who was seen as a light touch in contrast to Trump's "good cop, bad cop" routine of slamming Beijing on Twitter while simultaneously flattering its leadership in person.

"We hope that this personnel change will at the least not have any effect on the development of Sino-US bilateral relations or Sino-US cooperation in some important areas," foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters at a regular press briefing yesterday.

Trump stunned Washington again by announcing in a morning tweet that Tillerson would be replaced by CIA director Mike Pompeo, a hardliner. Gina Haspel, Pompeo's deputy, would be nominated as the CIA's first female director.

Pompeo has been criticised for claiming waterboarding is not torture and opposing the closure of Guantánamo Bay. Haspel has come under scrutiny for her role in CIA torture under George W Bush and the destruction of evidence.

Even as the reverberations continued in Washington and beyond, yet more drama bubbled up in the administration before Tuesday was out, reported The Guardian.

The veterans affairs secretary, David Shulkin, is reported to be hanging on to his job by a thread after ethics violations concerning a trip to Europe with his wife and new allegations that he had a member of his security detail go shopping with him at a branch of Home Depot and then cart the purchases into his house.

Trump is considering replacing Shulkin with the energy secretary, Rick Perry, according to the New York Times.

Meanwhile, the interior secretary, Ryan Zinke, was questioned by a congressional committee on Tuesday about a habit of using charter flights on government business.

This follows a recent scandal over the housing secretary, Ben Carson, overspending on office refurbishments and longstanding criticism of the EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt, regularly flying first class at taxpayers' expense.