KT McFarland OUT as Deputy National Security advisor…

The White House shuffle is claiming its latest victim, pushing KT McFarland out of the National Security complex and into an ambassadorial role:

WASHINGTON TIMES – A top national security adviser to President Donald Trump is the latest official heading out in an ongoing shuffle within the National Security Council.

K.T. McFarland, who is in line to be U.S. ambassador to Singapore, came into the White House as a deputy to Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Flynn was asked to resign in February amid revelations that he misled senior administration officials about his contacts with Russian government officials.

McFarland’s impending move was confirmed Sunday by a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official announcement hasn’t been made. The administration is still awaiting approval from Singapore and the post requires Senate confirmation.

Flynn’s replacement, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, has freely made changes to the national security structure since assuming the role. McMaster immediately expressed a desire to run a less hierarchical organization and be more accessible to his staff.

I was pretty happy when Trump picked McFarland, especially given how she had worked for Reagan before and she seemed to have a lot of common sense. But now she’s being relegated to a role of little importance and it looks like McMaster is behind it.

Dina Powell, even though she’s under a slightly different title, seems to be McFarland’s replacement. She’s been on the job for about a month now and Tom Cotton said this about her when she was first given the position:

“Dina Powell is an outstanding choice for deputy national security adviser,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee. “She has years of experience working both in the business world and at many different levels of government, including Congress, the White House, and the State Department.”

“In that time, she has earned the deep respect of her colleagues for her unique ability to not only take the long view but also to coordinate the many moving parts of an administration,” said Cotton, who called the choice of Powell “inspired.”

So perhaps this is a good move for the administration. Time will tell.


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