begin quote from:
breaking Trump's choice to replace Flynn: Thanks, but no thanks
Harward says no to national security adviser role
Story highlights
- A friend of Harward's said he was reluctant to take the job because the White House seems so chaotic
- Earlier this week, Trump fired Michael Flynn as national security adviser
(CNN)Ret.
Vice Adm. Bob Harward turned down President Donald Trump's offer to be
national security adviser Thursday, depriving the administration of a
top candidate for a critical foreign policy post days after Trump fired
Michael Flynn.
Trump has since
named Ret. Lt. Gen. Joseph Keith Kellogg, who worked under Flynn until
his resignation, the acting national security adviser. Asked if there
was a candidate for national security adviser in sight, a White House
official told CNN, "Not that I'm aware of."
"Since
retiring, I have the opportunity to address financial and family issues
that would have been challenging in this position," Harward said in a
statement. "Like all service members understand, and live, this job
requires 24 hours a day, 7 days a week focus and commitment to do it
right. I currently could not make that commitment. My thoughts and
prayers are with those that carry such heavy burdens and responsibility
for taking care of our country's national security concerns. God bless
this great country of ours."
A
friend of Harward's said he was reluctant to take the job because the
White House seems so chaotic. Harward called the offer a "s***
sandwich," the friend said.
A
Republican official told CNN that Harward made it a condition of taking
the job that he could form his own team. In the end, he didn't feel that
was the case.
And
a senior Republican familiar with the process added that "a question of
clarity regarding the lines of authority" was central in Harward's
decision.
"I wouldn't call it a
disagreement as much as questions that could not be resolved to his
comfort level," the senior Republican said.
Harward
served as Mattis's deputy when he was commander of US Central Command,
which oversees US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Flynn
was forced to resign his position in the Trump administration after
reports said he discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador before
Trump was inaugurated and misled Vice President Mike Pence about the
conversation. The White House said Flynn's omission about the details of
his conversation led to an erosion of trust between Flynn and the
President, prompting Flynn's exit.
Following
a more than 30-year military career, Harward became chief executive of
defense giant Lockheed Martin's United Arab Emirates division.
Harward
was already familiar with the role of national security adviser and the
work of the National Security Council, having previously worked on the
NSC's counterterrorism office from 2003 to 2005 during President George
W. Bush's administration.
After
Flynn's resignation, Harward's name floated to the top of lists for
potential replacements, alongside acting adviser Kellogg and retired
Army Gen. David Petraeus, who pleaded guilty in 2015 to mishandling
classified information after he shared sensitive material with a woman
with whom he was having an affair.
Ret.
Army Maj. Gen. James "Spider" Marks, a CNN military analyst, called
Harward an "incredibly talented guy" in an interview with CNN's Erin
Burnett on "OutFront.
Marks said he
didn't want to speculate why Harward turned down the job, but said
turmoil in the White House was likely a contributing factor.
"I'm
sure Bob looked at this, Adm. Harward looked at this, and said, 'Look
there's a lot of forming and storming going on right now.'"
But
Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, dismissed suggestions that White House
chaos led to Harward's decision to not accept the role, calling it
"hearsay."
"Am I surprised, 72
hours after Flynn resigns, that we're still in the process of doing a
turn for that? No, I'm not," he told Burnett.
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