Thread: Breaking: National Security Adviser Pick, Admiral Harwood, Says "No" to Job

Vice Admiral Harwood has turned down the position of National Security Adviser. No details given yet.

Oh really? Well, what next? Oh rats, I'll have to change my appointee list.

Originally Posted by Judy

Oh really? Well, what next? Oh rats, I'll have to change my appointee list.

Hopefully the next choice will be better. Would like a do over on Acosta. Never know.

CBS News February 16, 2017, 6:09 PM
Vice Admiral Robert Harward turns down national security adviser job

Vice Admiral Robert Harward has rejected President Trump’s offer to be the new national security adviser, CBS News’ Major Garrett reports.

Robert Harward offered national security adviser job

Sources close to the situation told Garrett Harward and the administration had a dispute over staffing the security council.

Two sources close to the situation confirm Harward Harward demanded his own team, and the White House resisted.

Specifically, Mr. Trump told Deputy National Security Adviser K. T. McFarland that she could retain her post, even after the ouster of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Harward refused to keep McFarland as his deputy, and after a day of negotiations over this and other staffing matters, Harward declined to serve as Flynn’s replacement.

Harward, a 60-year-old former Navy SEAL, served as deputy commander of U.S. Central Command under now-Defense Secretary James Mattis. He previously served as deputy commanding general for operations of Joint Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

Harward has also commanded troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan for six years after the 9/11 attacks. Under President George W. Bush, he served on the National Security Council as director of strategy and policy for the office of combating terrorism.

Flynn resigned from the post amid questions about his contacts with Russian officials.

Law enforcement sources confirmed earlier this week that FBI agents had interviewed former national security adviser Michael Flynn last month. According to the Defense Intelligence Agency, Flynn’s security clearance has been suspended as investigators look into his ties to Russian officials.

At a press conference Thursday, Trump defended by attacking the press and members of the intelligence community for the “illegal process” of leaking information.

“Mike Flynn is a fine person,” he said. “He was just doing his job...I don’t think he did anything wrong.”

“He didn’t tell the vice president of the United States the facts and then he didn’t remember,” Trump said of Flynn, saying that was why he asked for Flynn’s resignation.

The real problem, Mr. Trump charged, was that “classified information that was given illegally.”

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/robert-h...y-adviser-job/

Oh my God, get KT McFarland out of there. She doesn't know squat about intelligence or national security. She goes on Red Eye for crying out loud. Tell Harward he can have his own team, his own deputy for heaven's sake.

Harward is your guy, this is a guy who's willing to walk away from the table, this is your kind of person, Mr. President, now GO GET HIM BACK.

Thank you Judy. I think K.T. is loyal to President Trump. This happened with Kris Kobach as number two to General Kelly. He wouldn't have Kris. He won out. They probably didn't want to sacrifice K.T. to get Harwood, especially after the Mike Flynn situation.

Originally Posted by Judy

Oh my God, get KT McFarland out of there. She doesn't know squat about intelligence or national security. She goes on Red Eye for crying out loud. Tell Harward he can have his own team, his own deputy for heaven's sake.

Harward is your guy, this is a guy who's willing to walk away from the table, this is your kind of person, Mr. President, now GO GET HIM BACK.

Well Judy, we wrote different thoughts. I did not know about Red Eye drama. Every time I heard her speak especially on illegal immigration she supported actions against it and securing the borders and extreme vetting.

I just hope it all works out.

Trump is working to convince retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward to change his mind after he turned down the position, Financial Times reported citing two sources familiar with the situation.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefi...n-offer-report

Originally Posted by GeorgiaPeach

Well Judy, we wrote different thoughts. I did not know about Red Eye drama.

I just hope it all works out.

Here's one of the problems with KT McFarland:

Embellishment of credentials

McFarland's candidacy was plagued by media and other allegations that she overstated her credentials. The New York Times reported that McFarland's claim that she had written part of Ronald Reagan's "Star Wars" speech was false and had actually been written by Reagan's "top national security advisers," which did not include McFarland.[7] Regarding her being the highest ranking woman of her time at the Reagan Pentagon, the newspaper reported that this was also false and that two women at the Pentagon at the time held higher ranks.[7]

The New York Times article describes McFarland as "a relatively obscure figure with two intriguing claims to fame: She had worked on President Ronald Reagan's "Star Wars" speech and had been the highest-ranking woman at the Reagan Pentagon. But interviews with former Reagan administration officials and a review of documents show her claims were not entirely accurate."[7]

McFarland was defeated 61 percent to 39 percent in the Republican primary, and her Republican opponent went on to lose 67 percent to 31 percent in the general election.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K._T._McFarland

She's dishonest. A national security advisor should be able to choose his own deputy and team. Why wouldn't the President want them to hire the people they can trust in this situation? People they've worked with for years, bring them with you? Harward is used to being part of a team, he knows the importance of that, I think Trump needs to find another job for KT somewhere, there's like 4,000 spots to fill, so there's no shortage of openings. Maybe Trump thinks she wrote Reagan's Star Wars speech when it was national security staff who wrote it. He needs to learn to google and check out wiki. It's very helpful.

Thank you for additional information.