Donald Trump administration National Security Advisor appointment, 2017
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Following his election as the 45th President of the United States in 2016, Donald Trump and his transition team considered individuals to fill the position of National Security Advisor. The national security advisor is responsible for overseeing the National Security Council staff, chairing the National Security Principals Committee, providing the president with the daily national security briefing, and coordinating the administration’s foreign policy, intelligence, and military efforts.
On November 17, 2016, Trump appointed retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn as the National Security Advisor.[1] This position does not require U.S. Senate confirmation.
To see a full list of Donald Trump's White House staff, click here.
Resignation of Flynn[edit]
Flynn resigned on February 13, 2017, amid reports that he did not provide Vice President Mike Pence with accurate information about a conversation that he had with a Russian ambassador concerning sanctions against the country. In his resignation letter, Flynn wrote, "I inadvertently briefed the Vice President-elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian ambassador. I have sincerely apologized to the President and the Vice President, and they have accepted my apology."[2]
Trump said that, although Flynn “didn’t do anything wrong,” he had lost confidence in the general. Trump said, “He didn’t tell the vice president of the United States the facts. And then he didn’t remember. And that just wasn’t acceptable to me.”[3]
On February 10, 2017, a U.S. official confirmed that the general and Sergey Kislyak, a Russian ambassador, spoke about sanctions placed on the country by the Obama administration during a conversation on December 29, 2016. According to one of Flynn's aides, Flynn had "no recollection of discussing sanctions," and "couldn't be certain that the topic never came up." According to CNN, “The context of Flynn's side of the conversation wasn't clear, even to the FBI and intelligence agencies that reviewed the content, and there's nothing to indicate that Flynn made any promises or acted improperly in the discussion.” If Flynn directly engaged in negotiations with the Russian ambassador about lifting the sanctions, he would have been in violation of "an obscure U.S. statute known as the Logan Act, which bars U.S. citizens from interfering in diplomatic disputes with another country," according to The Washington Post. The law was never used to prosecute any individuals.[4][5]
On February 13, 2017, hours before Flynn resigned, White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters that "The president is evaluating the situation. He is speaking to Vice President Pence relative to the conversation the vice president had with Gen. Flynn and also speaking to various other people about what he considers the single most important subject there is: our national security.”[6]
Trump responded to the media's coverage of Flynn's resignation by tweeting, "The real story here is why are there so many illegal leaks coming out of Washington? Will these leaks be happening as I deal on N.Korea etc?"[7]
General Joseph Keith Kellogg took over as acting national security advisor after Flynn resigned.[2]
Considered candidates for National Security Advisor[edit]
The table below highlights individuals who were either nominated to the position by Trump or were mentioned in the media as potential nominees.
| Considered candidates for National Security Advisor | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Notable experience | Source | |
Michael Flynn  |
Former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency | The New York Times | |
| Mike Rogers | Former chair of House Intelligence Committee | ABC News | |
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ Politico, "Trump offers national security adviser post to Michael Flynn," November 17, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Hill, "National Security Adviser Michael Flynn resigns," accessed February 13, 2017
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Bob Harward Turns Down National Security Adviser Job," accessed February 17, 2017
- ↑ CNN, "Trump says he's unaware of reports Flynn discussed sanctions with Russian ambassador," accessed February 13, 2017
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Justice Department warned White House that Flynn could be vulnerable to Russian blackmail, officials say," accessed February 14, 2017
- ↑ The Hill, "Spicer: Trump 'evaluating situation' with Flynn," accessed February 13, 2017
- ↑ Twitter, "Donald J. trump," accessed February 14, 2017
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