Spicer: Trump Has ‘Utmost Confidence’ In Nat’l Security Adviser H.R. McMaster

President Donald Trump's White House Senior Adviser Steve Bannon, left, and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, right, arrive for a news conference with President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in the East Room at the White House, Wednesday, April 12, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
President Donald Trump's White House Senior Adviser Steve Bannon, left, and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, right, arrive for a news conference with President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Jens Sto... President Donald Trump's White House Senior Adviser Steve Bannon, left, and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, right, arrive for a news conference with President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in the East Room at the White House, Wednesday, April 12, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) MORE LESS
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President Donald Trump “values” the counsel of National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, the White House said Tuesday, despite an article that cited two unnamed sources quoting Trump saying the opposite.

Bloomberg’s Eli Lake reported Monday that Trump had said that McMaster, who took the place of the ousted Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn in his position, was “the general undermining my policy.” Lake reported that McMaster’s star was beginning to dim in Trump World.

Did the President say that?” one reported asked Spicer, referring to the quote in Lake’s piece, which was sourced to “two White House officials.”

“I don’t believe he has,” Spicer said. “I mean, I think when you look at the President’s schedule this week, as I just noted to Sara a little while ago, there’s probably no one aside from family members that are spending more time with the President this week than Gen. McMaster.”

“He values his counsel,” he continued. “He continues to be extremely pleased with his pick and his performance as national security adviser. He has the utmost confidence in him.”

Earlier, the press secretary said Trump had an “excellent” relationship with McMaster.

However, the Trump administration has a poor track record when it comes to publicly forecasting the careers of White House officials. Lake noted in his article Monday that top White House aide Kellyanne Conway said that Flynn had Trump’s full confidence only hours before he was forced to resign.

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Notable Replies

  1. “Utmost confidence”? Is that the sound of the axe rising into striking position?

  2. Avatar for krux krux says:

    “However, the Trump administration has a poor track record when it
    comes to publicly forecasting the careers of White House officials.”

    Nicely put, Mr. Shuham.

  3. The most important tidbit from the Bloomberg article for me, was that McFarland is still working in her NSC role, despite being “fired” and named as ambassador to Singapore some weeks ago. Which raised a lot of questions in my mind.

    But beyond that, it read like a Bannon “anonymous” source smear against someone he is fighting with…again. And this response from Spicer is also just as meaningless.

    This is what this WH does…they leak like a sieve, and float lots of trial balloons…all of it through anonymous sources…and then they deny it and castigate the media for reporting it.

    You have to hand it to them, they know precisely how much the MSM relies on “access” reporting,and they play them like a violin because of it.

  4. Avatar for caltg caltg says:

    . . . . Until he didn’t

  5. It is hell when you choose the right guy for the job and it works out!

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