President Trump Names Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster National Security Adviser
PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Trump announced the pick Monday at his Palm Beach club, Mar-a-Lago. He says McMaster is "a man of tremendous talent and tremendous experience."
Trump says retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who had been his acting adviser, will now serve as the National Security Council chief of staff.
"I would just like to say what a privilege it is to be able continue serving our nation, I'm grateful to you for that opportunity and I look forward to joining the national security team for the chance to advance and protect the interests of the American people," McMaster said.
The move comes after the president spent the weekend interviewing candidates in Palm Beach, Florida.
McMaster replaces general Michael Flynn, who was fired for concealing information from Vice President Mike Pence over a conversation with the Russian ambassador about sanctions with Russia.
"I was disappointed to learn that the facts that have been conveyed to me by General Flynn were inaccurate," Pence said. "But we honor General Flynn's long service to the United States of America and I fully support the president's decision to ask for his resignation."
In a resignation letter, Flynn said he gave Pence and others "incomplete information" about his calls with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. The vice president, apparently relying on information from Flynn, initially said the national security adviser had not discussed sanctions with the Russian envoy, though Flynn later conceded the issue may have come up.
In the letter, he also blamed "the fast pace of events" during the presidential transition for causing him to "inadvertently leave out key details of phone calls with the Russian ambassador prior to inauguration."
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said there was "exhaustive and extensive questioning" of Flynn on multiple occasions over his conversations with Russia's ambassador to the U.S., and the Justice Department informed the White House on Jan. 26 about Flynn's conversations during the transition.
Over the weekend, Trump also defended his plan to ban travel from seven majority countries, CBS2's Dick Brennan reported.
The new order is expected to be unveiled this week. Citizens from the seven countries will still be banned from coming to America, but the new order will make it clear it exempts green card holders and travelers already en route to the United States when the order is issued.
The White House is also considering new guidelines from the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively detain and deport undocumented immigrants already living in the country. The guidelines would expand the priority list for immigrants marked for immediate removal, including those charged with a crime, and would direct for the immediate construction of a wall on the southern border.
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