Trump Taps Gen. McMaster for National Security Adviser Post

Debra Heine | 3:04 PM on February 20, 2017

*President Donald Trump, right, speaks as Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, left, listens at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., Monday, Feb. 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)*

President Donald Trump announced today that he has chosen Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster to be his national security adviser, taking the place of Michael Flynn, who resigned from the post a week ago.

During a news conference at his Florida resort, Trump said that McMaster is “highly respected by everybody in the military” and is “a man of tremendous talent and tremendous experience.” He also said that his acting national security adviser, retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, will remain as the National Security Council’s chief of staff. Trump noted that McMaster and Kellogg have known each other for a very long time and will work well together.

Last week some White House insiders put out the word that members of the National Security Council were leaning toward John Bolton for the post. Trump indicated that he has something else in mind for the former U.N. Ambassador.

“We’re going to be asking [John Bolton] to work with us in a somewhat different capacity,” Trump said. “John is a terrific guy, we had some really good meetings with him.” The president added that Bolton has “a good number of ideas” that he very much agrees with, so “we’ll be talking to John Bolton in a different capacity.”

All Dare Call It Treason

McMaster called the appointment a privilege: “I’d just like to say what a privilege it is to be able to continue serving our nation,” he said. “I’m grateful to you for that opportunity and I look forward to joining the national security team and doing everything I can to advance and protect the interests of the American people.”