Retired Vice Adm. Bob Harward and retired Gen. David Petraeus have dropped out of consideration
President Donald Trump won’t guarantee that his next national security adviser will have full control over staffing and process, a move that is shortening the list of people willing to take the job at a tumultuous moment for the new administration, people familiar with the matter said.
.. Retired Vice Adm. Bob Harward and retired Gen. David Petraeus have dropped out of consideration for the critical post
.. Both candidates have cited concerns about staffing and independence, the people said.
.. “It is dumb to demand Flynn’s people go. Why are you creating embarrassment?” said the official. “If you make that a precondition, you are not a loyal soldier and you don’t deserve the job.”
.. Mr. Petraeus, the former Central Intelligence Agency director and a retired four-star general, said on Friday that anyone considering the job should have control over personnel and gain a commitment from the White House to have a disciplined process for crafting security policy.
.. The White House was miffed by Mr. Petraeus’s demands to take control of policy. Administration officials want someone who is going to coordinate and limit conflicts with the agencies on the council, not try to take policy-making away from them or the president, said the officials briefed on the search.
.. An official briefed on the search said Mr. Petraeus is no longer being considered because the White House thought his demands were unreasonable.