President-elect Donald Trump has named Kathleen Troia “KT” McFarland — who has served in the Pentagon under Republican administrations and more recently appeared as a national security analyst on Fox News — to be his deputy national security advisor. The transition team announced her selection Friday afternoon after reports by Bloomberg and the New York Times that morning that she had been picked.
“I am proud that KT has once again decided to serve our country and join my national security team,” Trump said in the transition team statement. “She has tremendous experience and innate talent that will complement the fantastic team we are assembling, which is crucial because nothing is more important than keeping our people safe.”
McFarland worked for President Reagan’s Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger as a spokeswoman and speechwriter, according to a New York Times story published in 2006, when she unsuccessfully ran for New York’s seat in the U.S. Senate. She was a protege of Henry Kissinger, according to the New York Times, and also held national security positions in the Nixon and Ford administrations.
She lost the GOP primary for the New York Senate seat, but eventually landed a gig as a Fox News contributor.
Updated: The story was updated to include the transition team’s statement on McFarland.
