The Knives Are Out for Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster
Source: Foreign Policy
Inside the White House, opponents of Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, President Donald Trumps second national security advisor, want him out. This week, theyve made their campaign against him public, leaking to reporters details about the rocky relationship he has with his boss and trying to paint him as someone hellbent on overseas nation-building projects that are doomed to fail. The timing isnt accidental. The effort to damage McMaster comes as the Trump administration decides what its policy should be in Afghanistan, a debate thats pitting McMaster against Steve Bannon, Trumps chief strategist.
McMaster is pushing this Afghanistan policy through. I think some people are giving him the rope to get it through, hoping he hangs himself with it, one senior intelligence official said.
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The first story aimed at weakening McMaster came Sunday from blogger Mike Cernovich, whose reporting has served as a conduit for the alt-right wing of the White House to air its grievances and get ahead of policies it doesnt like. Cernovich has pushed conspiracy theories and threatened to smear members of the Trump White House if Bannon is ever removed. Still, the White House has given him press credentials, and he attended a White House briefing last month.
In a May 7 blog post, Cernovich suggested McMaster had become too big for his britches and that Trump intended to put him in his place at a meeting between the two on Monday. Trumps daily schedule for Monday included a meeting with McMaster at 10 a.m. in the Situation Room.
Read more: http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/05/09/the-knives-are-out-for-hr-mcmaster-trump-bannon-nsc/
Trump was apparently upset that McCaster contradicted Trump's assertion that South Korea would pay for the THAAD missle system. Some see this as a power play by Bannon.
underpants
(182,826 posts)Comey and McMaster.
TomCADem
(17,387 posts)...the night of the long knives indeed.
Bernardo de La Paz
(49,002 posts)Hortensis
(58,785 posts)and, agree, some fanning of presidential paranoia seems really likely also. After all, McMaster is an enemy inside the WH of the bannonism and Alex Jonesism Rump has an affinity for. Chief of Staff Priebus is also opposing him.
Unfortunately, as Eli Lake's article suggests, it may be that this "grown-up" failed to do his homework on how to deal with people with mental disorders. He could at least have done a better job at trying to butter up the boss.
Best_man23
(4,898 posts)God help us all. Because its likely Mattis will be next.
Bernardo de La Paz
(49,002 posts)As if they aren't busy enough covering up and impeding the huge yuge #TrumpRussia investigation.
How many high placed people can they fire in a week? This is only Tuesday.
Dustlawyer
(10,495 posts)keithbvadu2
(36,823 posts)Remember Trump said he was smarter than the generals
Any failures are Trump's, not the generals.
roamer65
(36,745 posts)Leghorn21
(13,524 posts)He's also squared away, professional, no-nonsense and sharp as hell.
FU traitor.
roamer65
(36,745 posts)radical noodle
(8,003 posts)He wants people who will do his bidding and make excuses for those him.
lindysalsagal
(20,692 posts)Melting down exactly as a fRump "administration" would be expected to. Does "morass" fit the bill?
DeminPennswoods
(15,286 posts)being good at knife fights and winning them.