A massive purge is unlikely given McMaster’s small budget and the staying power of his politically-connected subordinates.
President Donald Trump’s newly installed national security advisor was promised full authority to reorganize the National Security Council to his liking after his predecessor was forced to resign after misleading the vice president about his conversations with the Russian ambassador.
But Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster is discovering the limits to any ambitious overhaul at the NSC, leaving him relying on people in many cases recruited by the former national security advisor, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, and other Trump confidantes. A wholesale purge is not expected, and several key NSC officials focused on the Middle East and other vital areas will keep their positions in the near term, a senior White House official told Foreign Policy.
The survivors, whose fate came into question after Flynn’s surprise ouster, include: K.T. McFarland, the deputy national security advisor; Michael Anton, the deputy assistant to the president for strategic communications; and Victoria Coates, the senior director for strategic assessments who previously worked as an art historian and aide to Ted Cruz.
…..
There is also no indication that the Strategic Initiatives Group, a newly created sub-unit of the NSC that reports directly to Trump’s Chief Strategist Stephen Bannon and son-in-law Jared Kushner, is endangered. But Sebastian Gorka, a self-described counterterrorism expert on the SIG, has come under increasing scrutiny in the media for his questionable professional credentials.
One big — and still open question — is whether McMaster will have significant influence in a White House with big personalities like Bannon and Chief of Staff Reince Priebus. Bannon, in particular, has sought to jettison decades of U.S. foreign policy to focus on an “economic nationalist” agenda, which will further complicate McMaster’s job.
…..
- Discussion
-
Trump's new national security adviser was promised full authority to reorganize the NSC. That doesn't look likely. https://t.co/MUBJ0s4cN3
— Foreign Policy (@ForeignPolicy) March 6, 2017
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.