Harward Rejects Trump’s National Security Adviser Offer
By Concise News Correspondent
Robert Harward, a retired Vice-Admiral, has rejected President Donald Trump’s offer for the job of National Security Adviser.
The 60-year-old former Navy Seal was widely tipped for the post following Trump’s dismissal of Michael Flynn on Monday.
A White House official, according to a BBC report, said Harward cited family and financial commitments. However, US media said the bone of contention was he wanted to bring in his own setup.
Flynn was reported to have misled US Vice-President Mike Pence over his conversations with Russia’s ambassador to the US.
And the latest comedown happened hours after Trump strongly denied media reports of White House disarray, insisting his administration was running like a “fine-tuned machine”.
Harward told the Associated Press the Trump administration was “very accommodating to my needs, both professionally and personally”.
“It’s purely a personal issue,” added Harward who is currently based in Abu Dhabi as an executive for US defence contractor Lockheed Martin.
On reports that he had asked to bring in his own team at the National Security Council, Harward said: “I think that’s for the president to address.”
Flynn, a retired army lieutenant-general, was ousted amid claims that before he was even appointed as national security adviser he had discussed sanctions with a Russian envoy.
Meanwhile, frontline Republicans have called for an investigation into intelligence leaks that led to Flynn’s resignation.
