President Donald Trump has tapped Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as his new national security adviser, exactly one week after Michael Flynn resigned from the post. Washingtom bureau reporter Alberto Pimienta filed the following report.
In a surprising announcement during a holiday from his club in Palm Beach, Florida, President Donald Trump announced his new National Security Adviser: Army Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster.
McMaster served in the first Gulf War, in Afghanistan and Iraq.
He is on active duty, and prior to be chosen to be National Security Adviser, he was the director of the Army Capabilities Integration Center, a unit in charge of making sure the Army runs effectively.
McMaster is considered a thinker. He got a PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in military history.
"I look forward to joining the national security team and do everything I can to advance and protect the interest of the American people," McMaster said.
The announcement comes after retired Army General Michael Flynn was fired. He spent less than a month on the job. He was asked to resign when it became clear he lied to Vice President Mike Pence about discussing sanctions with the Russian ambassador to the U.S.
McMaster is Trump's second choice to replace Flynn. Retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward turned the president down.
Also in the coming days, it is expected the Trump administration will reveal a new immigration ban.
According to reports, the ban will target the same seven Muslim-majority countries as the previous one, but it will not apply to green card holders and travelers who already have visas to come to the U.S.
The initial executive order triggered protests around the nation and it was ultimately halted by a court in Washington State.
And questions keep swirling after the New York Times reported that Trump campaign staffers had "repeated contact" with Russian officials. White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus says the story is false.
"I can assure you, and I've been approved to say this, that top levels of the intelligence community have assured me that that story is not only inaccurate, but it's grossly overstated," Priebus said.
This denial comes at a time when the Senate is also asking all federal agencies to keep all records that could pertain to their investigation into Russia's meddling in the presidential election.