US National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien Tests Positive For The Coronavirus

Daily Mail: Donald Trump's National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien is diagnosed with coronavirus after contracting it at 'family event' – making him most senior White House official to have it

* The White House announced Monday morning that National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien has test positive for coronavirus
* This makes him the most high profile White House official to contract it
* 'There is no risk of exposure to the President or the Vice President,' the White House statement assured
* O'Brien contracted COVID-19 after attending a 'family event,' an individual familiar with his situation revealed

Donald Trump's National Security adviser has coronavirus, the White House announced Monday, making him the most high profile administration individual, with close proximity to the president, to test positive for it.

'National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien tested positive for COVID-19,' the White House said in a statement.

'He has mild symptoms and has been self-isolating and working from a secure location off site,' it continued, adding that National Security Council operations and work 'continues uninterrupted.'

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WNU Editor: Robert Kudlow says that he got it from his daughter.

More News On US National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien Testing Positive For The Coronavirus

Trump national security advisor Robert O’Brien tests positive for coronavirus -- CNBC
Trump's national security adviser tests positive for coronavirus -- The Hill
Robert O'Brien, Donald Trump's national security adviser, tests positive for COVID-19 -- USA Today
Trump's national security adviser tests positive for Covid-19 -- CNN
National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien tests positive for coronavirus -- FOX News

U.S. National Security Council Staff Now At Half Of President Obama Levels

President Trump with his national security adviser, Robert C. O’Brien, in Los Angeles, September 18, 2019 (Tom Brenner / Reuters)

New York Post: Trump’s national security chief slashes staff to half of Obama levels

WASHINGTON — President Trump’s national security adviser Robert C. O’Brien has dramatically slashed the size of the National Security Council — reducing the headcount to half of what it was during the Obama era, The Post has learned.

The job cuts are an attempt to streamline the foreign policy outfit, which ballooned under the Obama administration to almost 240 staffers — still up from 115 during Condoleezza Rice’s tenure as George W. Bush’s NSA in the early 2000s, a senior White House official said.

By the end of this summer, the NSC will consist of just 105 staff, the official said.

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WNU Editor:This cut in staff has also resulted in the elimination of leaks. Is there a leak?

U.S. National Sec Adviser: Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman Will Be Removed From The White House National Security Council

#NEW: NSA Robert O’Brien says Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a top witness in the House impeachment inquiry, will be removed from his post at the White House National Security Council. pic.twitter.com/WkT4olZIM0

— Alex Salvi (@alexsalvinews) November 10, 2019

TPM: National Sec Adviser: Top Impeachment Probe Witness Will Be Removed From WH Council

On Sunday, National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien said Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who gave a bombshell testimony in the House impeachment investigation last month on President Donald Trump’s Ukraine scheme, will be removed from his post at the White House National Security Council.

“Lieutenant Colonel Vindman, who has testified under oath, is serving on the National Security Council currently,” CBS News’s “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan said during her interview with O’Brien. “Will he continue to work for you despite testifying against the President?”

“Well look, one of the things that I’ve talked about is that we’re streamlining the National Security Council,” O’Brien replied. “It got bloated to like 236 people up from 100 in the Bush administration under President Obama.”

The national security adviser said Vindman, who currently serves as the council’s Director for European Affairs, will be removed as a part of the White House’s “streamlining” efforts.

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WNU Editor: According to Lieutenant Colonel Vindman's attorney he is still there and he is expected to remain as Ukraine director on the National Security Council until July, 2020 .... 'Still there': Vindman not removed from National Security Council despite alarm over vengeful firing (Washington Examiner). As to what is my take .... I do not think he is going to be there in the next day or two. National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien wants people that he knows and trusts working around him as well as a smaller and more manageable staff. Lieutenant Colonel Vindman does not meet those requirements.

President Trump Names Robert O’Brien As His New National Security Adviser

Reuters: Trump picks hostage negotiator O'Brien for top security job

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday picked U.S. hostage negotiator Robert O’Brien as national security adviser, replacing hardliner John Bolton who was fired abruptly last week after clashing with the president on a host of issues.

O’Brien, who will be the fourth person to hold the post in the Trump administration, has served as Trump’s special envoy for hostage affairs at the U.S. Department of State since May 2018 and has a long history in Republican foreign policy circles.

“I have worked long & hard with Robert. He will do a great job!” Trump wrote on Twitter.

Trump fired Bolton after disagreements over handling foreign policy matters relating to North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan, Russia and Venezuela.

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More News On President Trump Naming Robert O’Brien As His New National Security Adviser

Trump names hostage envoy O’Brien national security adviser -- AP
Trump names U.S. hostage negotiator Robert O'Brien as national security adviser -- Politico
Trump names Robert O'Brien as next national security adviser -- The Hill
Trump Names Hostage Envoy Robert O’Brien as National Security Adviser -- Bloomberg
Trump Names Robert O’Brien, a Hostage Negotiator, as National Security Adviser -- The New York Times
Trump taps Robert C. O’Brien to replace John Bolton as national security adviser -- The Washington Post
Trump names State Dept official Robert O’Brien as national security advisor, replacing John Bolton -- CNBC
Trump names new national security adviser -- CNN
Trump's new national security adviser is the hostage negotiator he sent to Sweden for A$AP Rocky's trial -- Business Insider

President Trump’s New National Security Adviser Is Planning To Purge The National Security Council

The Hill: John Bolton plans to fire dozens of White House officials: report

President Trump’s new national security adviser is reportedly planning major staffing changes at the National Security Council.

Sources close to the situation told Foreign Policy that John Bolton is preparing to “clean house” and remove nearly all of the political appointees brought in by his predecessor.

“Bolton can and will clean house,” one former White House official told Foreign Policy.

Another former official said any National Security Council officials appointed under former President Obama “should start packing their shit.”

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WNU Editor: No one should be surprised that people are going to be fired. When President Trump's secruity briefing was leaked to the press last week .... Who Leaked President Trump's Briefing Papers To The Press? (March 21, 2018) .... it was clear to everyone that there is/was a problem, and that something had to done. But what surprised me about the above post from The Hill is that there are still staff who were appointed by President Obama working in the NSC ?!?!?

U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Dina Powell To Leave White House

Politico: Powell to leave White House in early 2018

Former Goldman Sachs partner Dina Powell, who joined Donald Trump’s administration last January as an adviser on women’s issues to Ivanka Trump and rose quickly to become deputy national security adviser with a heavy hand in Middle East issues, will be departing the administration early next year.

“Dina Powell has been a key, trusted advisor in this administration,” press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement Friday. “She has always planned to serve one year before returning home to New York, where she will continue to support the President’s agenda and work on Middle East policy. She will serve in the administration until early next year.”

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WNU Editor: Predictions of doom and gloom from the main stream media .... Dina Powell Is Leaving. Is Trump's National Security Team Falling Apart? (Newsweek). The problem with this Newsweek story is that she did say at the beginning of the year that she was only going to stay in Washington for one year, and return to her family who have remained in New York.

Update: Her successor has already been chosen .... Scoop: Dina Powell successor (Axios).

More News On U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Dina Powell Leaving The White House Next Year

Dina Powell, deputy national security adviser, to depart Trump White House -- Washington Post
Dina Powell leaving Trump White House -- The Hill
Trump senior aide Dina Powell to resign early next year: White House -- Reuters
Dina Powell, Influential Foreign Policy Adviser, Is Set to Exit White House -- New York Times
Trump deputy national security adviser is leaving White House -- CNN
Dina Powell to Leave White House National Security Post -- Bloomberg
Trump's deputy national security advisor heads for the exits: White House says Dina Powell will leave the administration early next year -- Daily Mail

President Trump Has Named Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster As His New National Security Adviser

Washington Post: Trump taps Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as his new national security adviser

President Trump on Monday named Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as his new national security adviser, replacing the ousted Michael Flynn — a move meant to help put the White House on firmer footing after missteps on multiple fronts.

Trump called McMaster “a man of tremendous talent and tremendous experience” while introducing him to reporters at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida before returning to Washington.

“He is highly respected by everyone in the military, and we’re very honored to have him,” Trump said of McMaster, a widely respected military strategist.

Retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who has been serving as acting national security adviser, will become the National Security Council chief of staff, Trump also announced.

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More News On President Trump Naming Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster As His New National Security Adviser

General known for sharp questions will be Trump's new top security adviser -- Reuters
Trump taps military strategist as national security adviser -- AP
Trump names H.R. McMaster as national security advisor -- AFP
Trump selects Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as national security adviser -- FOX News
Trump Names Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as New National Security Adviser -- NBC
Trump picks Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as new national security adviser. -- CNN
President Trump weighs options for next national security adviser -- ABC News
Trump names Lt Gen HR McMaster as national security adviser -- BBC
Trump picks Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster to be national security adviser -- Politico
Trump names McMaster new national security adviser -- The Hill
Trump just made a fantastic choice for his new national security adviser -- Paul Szoldra, Business Insider
Who is HR McMaster, Trump's new national security adviser? -- BBC
Who is Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, Trump's new national security adviser? -- CNN

President Trump Says He'll Decide On Who His National Security Adviser Will Be In The Next Few Days

Reuters: Trump's national security candidates promised autonomy

President Donald Trump's next pick for national security adviser will have autonomy over staffing and key decisions, the White House said on Sunday as it scrambles to fill the post following the turbulent departure of Michael Flynn.

Trump fired Flynn, a retired U.S. Army general, on Monday after it was revealed that he discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia with the Russian ambassador in Washington ahead of Trump's inauguration and later misled Vice President Mike Pence about the conversations.

His first choice to fill the job, Vice Admiral Robert Harward, turned it down citing family and financial reasons. Another potential choice, David Petraeus, a retired general and former CIA chief who resigned in 2012 over an extramarital affair, is also no longer on the president's short list.

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More News On President Trump's Next National Security Adviser

Trump to meet with 4 possible candidates for national security adviser -- FOX News
White House: Next Security Advisor to Control Security Council Staffing -- VOA
National Security Adviser Hopefuls Promised Autonomy -- Newsweek
Trump says he'll decide on national security adviser in next few days -- Reuters
White House denies seeking to hamstring national security adviser -- The Times of Israel/AFP
Who Will Be National Security Adviser? Trump To Decide On Michael Flynn’s Replacement Soon, Following Russia Sanctions Controversy -- International Business Times
Finding the Right National Security Adviser Won't Be Easy -- WIRED

Who Will Be The Next U.S. National Security Adviser?

General Keith Kellogg, who I have known for a long time, is very much in play for NSA - as are three others.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2017

Politico: Trump says he's considering Kellogg and three others for NSA

President Donald Trump said Friday that he is considering keeping Keith Kellogg on as his permanent national security adviser, but there are also three other names “in play” to succeed Michael Flynn, who was ousted from the job on Monday.

Trump signaled his interest in Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general, in a tweet: “General Keith Kellogg, who I have known for a long time, is very much in play for NSA - as are three others,” he said.

The president tapped Kellogg to fill the national security adviser role on an interim basis after the unceremonious departure of Flynn, who was asked to resign in the wake of reports that he had improperly discussed sanctions on Russia with the country’s ambassador and then misled the public and Vice President Mike Pence about it.

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WNU Editor: So much for the story that Retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward turned down the job because of staffing issues .... White House denies Flynn replacement pick turned down job over staffing dispute (The Hill).

More News On Who May be The Next National Security Adviser

Trump scrambles to find top national security aide -- Reuters
Here's who Trump could pick to replace Flynn as national security advisor -- CNBC
Harward turns down national security adviser job. Who else is there? -- CSM

President Obama Appoints Susan Rice As National Security Adviser And Samantha Power As U.S. Ambassador To The U.N.

National Security Adviser Donilon To Resign, Obama To Appoint Susan Rice To Replace Him -- Christian Science Monitor

Tom Donilon, President Obama's top national security adviser, is resigning and Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the United Nations, is seen as the likely candidate to replace him. A planned announcement by the president is expected this afternoon.

President Barack Obama's top national security adviser Tom Donilon is resigning and will be replaced by Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. who has been a lightning rod for Republican criticism over faulty explanations for the attack that killed four Americans in Benghazi, Libya.

Donilon has been a key foreign policy adviser to President Barack Obama. But the 58-year-old had been expected to depart sometime this year, with Rice seen as the likely candidate to replace him. Her selection is sure to anger congressional Republicans, who have accused the administration of inconsistency and a cover-up in the Benghazi attacks.

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More News On President Obama Appointing Susan Rice As National Security Adviser And Samantha Power As U.S. Ambassador To The U.N.

Rice to Replace Donilon in the Top National Security Post -- New York Times
Tom Donilon resigning as national security adviser; Susan Rice to replace him -- Washington Post
Rice to Succeed Donilon as National Security Adviser -- Wall Street Journal
Obama to name Susan Rice as national security adviser -- Reuters
Tom Donilon stepping down as Obama's national security adviser; Susan Rice to replace him -- CBS
Susan Rice to be appointed national security adviser -- NBC
UN Ambassador Rice Named as White House Security Adviser -- Voice of America
Obama to Name Susan Rice National Security Adviser -- Time
Susan Rice to be new US national security adviser -- The Telegraph
Susan Rice to replace Tom Donilon as US national security adviser -- The Guardian
Obama to name Susan Rice as security adviser -- Al Jazeera
Susan Rice to be new NSA, Samantha Power to replace her at U.N. -- Politico
AP source: Obama to name Samantha Power to UN post -- AP
MSNBC Guests Spar Over Susan Rice’s New Job: Obama ‘Owed’ Her After She Was ‘Trashed On His Behalf’ -- Mediaite
Susan Rice gets her reward with huge promotion -- Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post
Jason Chaffetz: Susan Rice Is a Terrible Choice For National Security Adviser -- Eli Lake, The Daily Beast

U.S. National Security Adviser Tom Donilon Is Resigning And Will Be Replaced By U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice

National Security Advisor Tom Donilon with President Barack Obama (photo credit: White House/Pete Souza)

Tom Donilon Resigning As National Security Adviser; Susan Rice To Replace Him -- Washington Post

National security adviser Tom Donilon will resign his post and be replaced by U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, a close confidant of President Obama with deep foreign policy experience who has been widely expected to move into the job.

White House officials said Donilon’s resignation will take effect early next month. A seasoned Washington insider, Donilon has held senior national security posts in the administration since Obama took office, rising from the principal deputy national security adviser to his current job.

But his reputation for protecting Obama politically has caused friction with other agencies over the years, beginning in the fall of 2009, when he advocated for a far smaller deployment of U.S. troops in Afghanistan than the Pentagon had requested.

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My Comment: I commented before that President Obama would love to have Susan Rice in the White House. They have known each other for years, and the President has the utmost confidence in her. By making her his national security adviser, she will be able to skip the confirmation process, a process that would have raised questions on Benghazi .... questions that the administration is still refusing to answer.

This post will be updated later in the day.

Why The Early Departure Of U.S. National Security Adviser James Jones

Woodward's Book Hastend Jones' Exit From Obama Circle -- McClatchy News

WASHINGTON — Retired Marine Gen. James Jones resigned Friday as the White House National Security Adviser and was replaced by his deputy, Thomas Donilon.

Like other top changes in the White House, President Barack Obama turned to a familiar face already on his team, and the swap will have little impact on policy. However, it could strain relations between the White House and the military.

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More News On The Resignation Of James Jones

Henry in the House: Woodward book sealed Gen. Jones' fate -- CNN
Jones never made it to the inner circle -- Politico
Jones an awkward fit in Obama circle -- Washington Post
Security job goes to insider -- Washington Post
James Jones to step down as national security adviser -- Washington Post
Obama's top security adviser steps down -- Washington Times
Factbox: White House aide Donilon is close Obama confidant -- Reuters
10 reasons to be worried as Tom Donilon, Afghan war sceptic & desk-bound foe of US military, gets top foreign policy job -- Toby Harnden, The Telegraph
Scenarios: Obama shuffles staff, what is coming next? -- Reuters

National Security Adviser Says Iran Advancing In Making Medium-Range Missiles

White House National Security Adviser James Jones. Radio Free Europe

From The Washington Times:

White House National Security Adviser James L. Jones says President Obama's decision to abandon a long-range missile defense site in Eastern Europe was driven by U.S. intelligence concerns that Iran is further along than previously thought in developing medium-range missiles that could strike Western Europe and the Middle East with nuclear warheads.

"We think they are heading toward weaponiz[ing] these missiles, which obviously we want to dissuade them from doing," the retired four-star Marine general told The Washington Times, explaining why U.S. officials dramatically shifted from years of focus on guarding against longer-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

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My Comment: I call this a leap of faith. U.S. intelligence has had numerous failures through the years when it comes to Iran (also Iraq and weapons of mass destruction, Al Qaeda, etc.) .... who is to say that this intelligence is valid. Regardless .... everyone is accepting this information as valid, and we are now going down a very different path.

Retired Four-Stars Leading Candidates For Obama's National Security Team

From ABC News/Political Punch:

Democratic sources tell ABC News that President-elect Obama appears to be turning to two retired four-stars for his National Security Adviser and his Director of National Intelligence.

Marine Gen. James L. Jones (Ret.), the former head of NATO and U.S. forces in Europe, has emerged as the leading candidate to serve as the National Security Adviser for President-elect Obama.

Admiral Dennis C. Blair (Ret.), former Commander-in-Chief of U.S. Pacific Command and a 6th-generation naval officer, has emerged as the top candidate to be President-elect Obama's Director of National Intelligence. He recently met in Chicago with the president-elect.

Neither job has been officially offered or accepted, and the Obama Transition Team would not confirm or deny either man's front-runner status.

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My Comment: These two men would be good choices. Their Wikipedia entries are the following: Admiral Dennis C. Blair and Marine Gen. James L. Jones.