Things have been pretty messed up at the National Security council for awhile. The most recent blow came when National Security advisor Michael Flynn resigned last week after his controversial communications with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak were revealed to a very disappointed Mike Pence.
Donald Trump allegedly offered Flynn’s former position to Robert S. Harward, a retired vice admiral and Navy SEAL, who was rattled when a request to bring his team with him was refused. There are already too many screeching chicks clawing in the nest, and these baby birds don’t want any more competition. Harward supposedly called the job a “shit sandwich.” and turned it down.
ABC News reports that Trump announced the appointment of Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster on Monday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. In a press conference, seated between McMaster and acting national security advisor Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, he said Kellogg will stay on as the NSC chief of staff, adding, “That combination is something very, very special.”
According to the New York Times, McMaster is considered one of “the leading thinkers inside the armed forces” and is known for having criticized President George W. Bush’s administration and their approach to the Iraq War. During the press conference Trump said he had “watched and read a lot over the last two days” before picking McMaster from a list that included former ambassador John R. Bolton and Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr. At least this time he is making an actual choice about who will be on the NSC instead of just signing whatever.