White House searching for potential replacements for Flynn

Source: Politico | February 13, 2017 | Tara Palmeri and Eli Stokols

David Petraeus is scheduled to meet with the president, sources said.

President Donald Trump’s adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is involved in a search for candidates to replace Michael Flynn, according to sources close to the administration, even as the president’s senior advisers publicly continue to send mixed signals about the fate of the embattled national security adviser.

“They are trying to figure out the solution to Flynn right now,” said one of the sources. “The problem is they don’t have it yet. They need to get a solution. You can’t have a firing without an immediate replacement. You need a plan.”

The situation remained fluid Monday night as a source familiar with the situation said that former acting Attorney General Sally Yates had briefed Donald McGahn, chief White House counsel, on Flynn’s apparent misstatements about his discussions with the Russians. Yates was dismissed a few days later — after refusing to enforce Trump’s travel ban executive order — but the source said her briefing on Flynn did not appear to play a role in her firing. The news was first reported by the Washington Post.

Amid this news, the list of possible replacements includes retired Gen. David Petraeus, who’s scheduled to meet with Trump at the White House on Tuesday, according to two people familiar with the plans. Other possibilities: Stephen Hadley, who served as national security adviser under President George W. Bush; Tom Bossert, who also served as a national security aide under Bush and now oversees cybersecurity under Trump; Adm. James Stavridis, dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts; and Department of Homeland Security head John Kelly.

Petraeus was briefly considered for secretary of state during the transition but was passed over in part because of his 2015 conviction for mishandling classified information.

Questions about Flynn’s status were met with conflicting responses by White House officials Monday. “The president is evaluating the situation,” White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters Monday evening. “He’s getting input, he’s looking at the situation.”

Earlier in the day, Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway sent a different message in a television appearance. “General Flynn does enjoy the full confidence of the president,” Conway told MSNBC.

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