War fan stirs new W. House in-security
McMaster out, hawk Bolton in as top aides shuffled again
PRESIDENT TRUMP announced Thursday that he’s replacing national security adviser H.R. McMaster with conservative TV pundit John Bolton, introducing a controversial foreign policy hawk ahead of key decisions on Iran and North Korea.
Trump tweeted late Thursday that McMaster has done “an outstanding job & will always remain my friend,” and that Bolton will officially take over April 9.
Despite being just over one year into his presidency, Trump has already had three national security advisers, far outnumbering his predecessors.
Trump and McMaster have frequently clashed on policy matters, and his ouster comes a week after the dramatic departure of Secretary of State Tillerson.
In a statement circulated by the White House, McMaster said he will request to retire from the U.S. Army this summer.
“I will leave public service,” McMaster said. “Throughout my career it has been my greatest privilege to serve alongside extraordinary service members and dedicated civilians.”
Bolton’s entrance into the White House is sure to be met with resistance.
The former acting UN Ambassador to President George W. Bush is perhaps one of the most divisive foreign policy voices in the country.
The 69-year-old Fox News pundit was a strong proponent of the Iraq War and has been one of the most vocal opponents of the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal. He has voiced support for launching a nuclear strike on North Korea and wrote an Op-Ed for The New York Times headlined, “To stop Iran’s bomb, bomb Iran.”
The Senate refused to confirm Bolton as Bush’s UN ambassador after his aggressive stance on military intervention alienated both Democrats and Republicans.
Appearing on Fox News on Thursday night, Bolton signaled that he might regret some of his past remarks.
“I've never been shy about what my views are,” he said. “Frankly, what I’ve said in private is behind me, at least effective April 9th. And the important thing is what the President says and what advice I give him.”
Bolton has been at the White House on several occasions in recent weeks. He met with Trump and White House chief of staff John Kelly in early March to discuss North Korea and Iran, and was spotted entering the West Wing earlier Thursday.
McMaster’s resignation comes one week after White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted that “contrary to reports” about friction between McMaster and Trump “they have a good working relationship and there are no changes at the” National Security Council.
McMaster, 55, had been brushing off rumors of an imminent departure for months.
The three-star general and West Point grad joined the Trump administration last year, succeeding Michael Flynn. Flynn was forced out of the White House amid controversy surrounding his lying about contacts with Russia officials. He later pleaded guilty to misleading the FBI about his contacts with Russians during the Trump
transition. McMaster is a noted military strategist who served as an Army captain in the first Gulf war.
His 1997 book, “Dereliction of Duty,” ruffled feathers for questioning the military’s responsibility for the U.S. failure during the Vietnam War.
Directly before joining the Trump administration, he served from 2014 to 2017 as director of the Army capabilities integration center at Fort Eustis in Virginia.
McMaster has clashed with many in Trump’s inner circle, including former chief strategist Stephen Bannon, whom he booted from the NSC.
McMaster’s deep knowledge of military matters and history matched with his at times gruff demeanor has grated on Trump.
The general can be condescending during briefings, in Trump’s eyes, and the President prefers the way Secretary of State-designate Mike Pompeo or Defense Secretary James Mattis patiently answer his questions and break things down for him, according to several reports.
The President and McMaster have disagreed on a number of foreign policy issues — including the Iran deal, the U.S. approach to North Korea and the troop levels in Afghanistan. McMaster also reportedly clashed with Kelly and Mattis.