David Petraeus says he will NOT be Trump's new national security adviser: Disgraced ex-CIA head takes himself out of running over fears the president will control the hiring and firing of staff

[corbe]

David Petraeus says he will NOT be Trump's new national security adviser: Disgraced ex-CIA head takes himself out of running over fears the president will control the hiring and firing of staff

•David Petraeus, a retired general and former CIA director, will not be Trump's new NSA
•He expressed concern about Trump's reluctance to grant new adviser full discretion over policy and staffing
•Officials said Petraeus's prerequisites for the job were not acceptable
•Retired Vice Admiral Bob Harward declined offer to become the next NSA on Thursday
•Trump said Friday that acting NSA Keith Kellogg and 'three others' are in contention for job
•Michael Flynn was fired on Monday following controversy over Russia contacts

By Reuters and Dailymail.com Reporter

Published: 09:55 EST, 18 February 2017  | Updated: 10:18 EST, 18 February 2017 

David Petraeus will not be replacing Michael Flynn as Donald Trump's next national security adviser.

Trump ousted Flynn on Monday in a controversy over the retired lieutenant general's contacts with Russia.

Petraeus, a retired general and former CIA director, expressed concern about Trump's reluctance to grant the new adviser full discretion over policy and staffing.

<..snip..>


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4237492/David-Petraeus-won-t-Trump-NSA.html#ixzz4Z3Pacfvq

[Chosen Daughter]

It should have been Robert Harward.  He was an excellent choice but he chose to listen to Bannon.  It is Trump wielding his overwhelming authority where it shouldn't be.  If he trusted Harward he should have given him the authority to staff appropriately to get the job done.

[corbe]

The Next National Security Advisor Must Bring His Own Staff To Purge Obama Leftovers

by Jeff Dunetz | Feb 17, 2017 | Politics


Guest Post By Kenneth Timmerman, Award-Winning Investigative Reporter, President, Foundation for Democracy in Iran

So Vice Admiral Robert Harward is now out of the running for as National Security Advisor, reportedly because he insisted on bringing in his own staff.

But whoever is named to replace LTG Michael Flynn must bring their own staff into the National Security Council. Why? Because if he doesn’t, he will suffer the same fate as General Flynn, or be forced to submit to the Permanent Government, a/k/a the Deep State.

I’m not referring to KT McFarland, whom CNN claimed that Admiral Harward reportedly wanted to replace. I’m talking about the National Security staff, the representatives of the Deep State who have launched their own Occupy movement in the White House.

In the final months of his administration, President Obama stacked the NSC staff with hundreds of political operatives, many of whom were carried over by the new administration.

Why did the Trump transition team even think of carrying these people over? Because the NSC structure – or perhaps I should say, the fiction of the NSC structure – requires that most of the staff be comprised of “detailees” from the various U.S. government agencies whose operations the National Security Advisor is supposed to coordinate.

There were no Trump appointees in any of the national security agencies until just recently, thanks to Democrat obstruction in the Senate. This provided a huge opportunity to the President’s opponents.

Want to know who broke the law by leaking information gleaned from a highly-classified U.S. intelligence program to monitor foreign diplomats about Michael Flynn? Interested reporters – if there are any left outside of conservative news outlets – should start by looking at former CIA director John Brennan, an Obama  political operative.

Brennan worked hard to seed the CIA with acolytes and supporters, career “intelligence” officers whose real job was not to protect and defend the United States of America, but to sabotage the presidency of Donald Trump.

This is not the first time this has happened.

But Brennan’s actions go far beyond those of earlier shadow warriors. Not only was he the CIA director, but he has openly and repeatedly challenged the new President, hectored and lectured him, implying that he is unfit for office. I do not know of any precedent where a former CIA director has behaved in such open opposition to a new president.

And the rot goes well beyond the CIA.

Take a look at the Linked-In profiles of recent Obama administration NSC appointees. While I do not pretend to have any information to suggest that any of these individuals leaked classified information to discredit General Flynn, or will do so in the future, their public profiles show how difficult it will be for the incoming National Security Advisor to right this ship, unless he has installed his own crew.

Here are just a few examples:
•Ms. D, named a senior director at NSC by Obama in July, was “detailed” to the White House by Brennan from the National Counter-terrorism Center. Loyal to Brennan, to whom she owes her career, or to the President? Who knows.
•Mr. P, a Yale University scholar hired initially by Vice President Joe Biden as a China expert, gets named to the NSC staff in May 2015 as a “Senior Director” for Iran, Iraq, Syria, and the Gulf States. All of a sudden a China specialist becomes one of our top national security officials dealing with Iran, Iraq, Syria and the Gulf States? Really?
•Mr. H, Hawkins, who recently updated his profile to state that he served on the “White House NSC staff for Bush, Obama and Trump.” A real professional, right? Non-partisan? Think again.

Mr. H. was another John Brennan protégé who was detailed to the White House by Brennan in July 2015, where he became the “Senior Advisor for Migrant Screening and Vetting.” Gee, that’s a subject that’s been in the news, isn’t it?
•Ms. H started her career as a national security professional in 2014 – as a White House intern! She was promoted by Obama to an NSC billet in October 2015.
•Ms. CH, a graduate of left-wing Oberlin College, worked for John Kerry’s State Department, and was detailed to NSC in April 2016 where she became “Director of Democracy” programs.
•Mr. F was more overtly political than most. An Obama for America field director during the 2008 campaign, he was rewarded with a White House job in February 2009 and then “promoted” to become the NSC Director for Cybersecurity in May 2015. Gee, I wonder who had his eyes on Russian “hacking?” Or who promoted those stories with the Fake News media?

I do not know any of these individuals – or the 160 more current Obama holdovers who list their profiles on Linked-In, most of whom were hired in the past year by NSC.

<..snip..>


http://lidblog.com/next-national-security-advisor/

[EasyAce]

Note the phrasing: Petraeus takes himself out of the running over fears Donaldus Minimus will control the hiring and
firing of staff.

Those may not be illegitimate fears, but the fact that Petraeus could even consider taking the gig in the first place, if
offered, considering what brought him down in the first place (the classified information handling issue; his affair
with his biographer would probably have been dismissed as a personal, even private lapse in judgment, since he
wasn't known to have tried using government apparatus or committing any crime to hide it, had he not done the
former in hand), is just a little more grave than fearing presidential micromanagement.

[Right_in_Virginia]

I don't care what reason Petraeus gave for withdrawing.  I am just relieved he's out.

[truth_seeker]

I never got the high admiration of Petreaus. He seems like part of the problem, not the solution.

Firstly he supposedly made his chops with masterful handling of the Iraq surge in 2007. He was dubbed as a "counter-insurgency expert." His strategy was win "hearts and minds."

Ten years later after years of his involvement in various roles, we are still at war and it shows no signs of improvement.

He seems like a pointy-headed Hq. type, with his PhD, his mistress, his laptop and his notoriety.

His judgment is lousy.

I won't miss his involvement. I think Trump has no intention of using him, but instead "names him on a list" to placate other DC political interests.

[corbe]

   Besides Kellogg and Bolton anyone know the other 'two'?


Trump to Interview Candidates for National Security Post at Mar-a-Lago

Keith Kellogg, three others 'very much in play'
 
BY:  Natalie Johnson   
February 18, 2017 5:00 am

President Donald Trump is considering acting national security adviser Keith Kellogg to take on a full-time role as his top security aide following the resignation of Michael Flynn.

Trump tweeted Friday morning that Kellogg is "very much in play" to head the National Security Council along with three other candidates, though he did not list any other names.

Kellogg accompanied Trump on Air Force One to South Carolina and Florida. The president plans to meet with other candidates for the position this weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla.

Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general, became acting national security adviser after Flynn resigned Monday night following revelations he misled administration officials about his contact with Russia's ambassador to the United States. Kellogg previously served as Flynn's chief of staff and the NSC's executive secretary.

Kellogg served two tours in Vietnam and was awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star medals. The 72-year-old also served as chief operating officer for the transitioning Iraqi government in 2003 prior to his retirement from the Army.

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton is said to be under consideration for national security adviser. Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) floated Bolton's name in a Friday interview with CNN, calling him a "strong" choice who understands the threats facing the world, namely "radical Islamic terrorism."

Trump initially tapped retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward to fill the White House vacancy, but Harward turned down the role on Wednesday, citing family commitments and financial reasons. Harward currently works as Lockheed Martin's chief executive in the United Arab Emirates.

Several sources close to Harward said the former Navy SEAL rejected the offer because the administration would not guarantee that he could bring in his own staff and have full authority over the National Security Council.

The White House previously has named former CIA Director David Petraeus as a potential replacement to Flynn.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said during a Tuesday press conference that the administration axed Flynn due to an "eroding level of trust."


<..snip..>

http://freebeacon.com/national-security/trump-meeting-several-candidates-national-security-adviser/

[corbe]

   Found another:

Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal

[EC]

   Besides Kellogg and Bolton anyone know the other 'two'?

http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,249939.msg1232945.html#msg1232945


Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster is reported there. No idea on him beyond the wikipedia stuff.

[truth_seeker]

A college friend of mine went on the serve 37 years in the US Army, reaching Lt.  Gen. 

After a few months in retirement he went to work for Raytheon, in Tucson.

He was one of the retired generals that signed up for their support of then candidate Trump.

His Army service was mostly combat arms duty, not Hq. administrative stuff. IOW the tip of the arrow. Airborn, Ranger, infantry, tanks, artillery etc. At one point headed development of the Stryker vehicle.

Commanding General, V Corps (Germany, Europe)

Final duty assignment Commanding General, Ft. Leavenworth (war college, prison)

This guy and a mutual friend, were golfers, and two of the toughest guys that I remember from HS/college.

Joe college looking lanky guys (5' 8-9", 150 libs.) drink you under the table, and kick your ass if provoked. Fast, faster.