IMC - US
President Donald Trump's choice for National Security Adviser has turned down
the job offer.
Retired Vice-Admiral Robert Harward was widely tipped for
the post after Mr Trump fired Michael Flynn on Monday.
A White House official said Mr Harward cited family and
financial commitments, but US media said the sticking point was he wanted to
bring in his own team.
Mr Flynn had misled US Vice-President Mike Pence over his
conversations with Russia's ambassador to the US.
The latest setback emerged hours after Mr Trump robustly
denied media reports of White House disarray, insisting his
administration was running like a "fine-tuned machine".
Mr Harward told the Associated Press the Trump
administration was "very accommodating to my needs, both professionally
and personally".
"It's purely a personal issue," added the
60-year-old former Navy Seal who is currently based in Abu Dhabi as an
executive for US defence contractor Lockheed Martin.
Asked about reports that he had asked to bring in his own
staff at the National Security Council, Mr Harward said: "I think that's
for the president to address."
Mr Flynn, a retired army lieutenant-general, was ousted
amid claims that before he was even appointed as national security adviser he
had discussed sanctions with a Russian envoy.
This would have potentially breached a law banning private
citizens from engaging in diplomacy.
Mr Flynn initially denied having discussed sanctions with
Sergei Kislyak, Moscow's ambassador to Washington.
But on Monday, Mr Trump asked for his resignation following
revelations that Mr Flynn had misled the vice-president about his conversations
with the diplomat.
Leading Republicans have called for an investigation
into intelligence leaksthat led to Mr Flynn's resignation.
Source : bbc.com
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