GOP-led panel approves Trump adviser's shift to White House

By RICHARD LARDNER, ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — Mar 7, 2017, 1:33 PM ET

The Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster's shift to the White House to be President Donald Trump's national security adviser.

The 23-2 vote came after McMaster met with committee members for nearly two hours behind closed doors to discuss his move from a military assignment to one of the most influential jobs in all of U.S. government. Two members of the committee abstained from voting.

"The vote was very overwhelming in favor of approving his status as a three-star general to remain on active-duty," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the panel's chairman, told reporters following the session.

McMaster's appearance before the committee was unusual because national security advisers aren't subject to Senate confirmation and typically don't testify on Capitol Hill. But McMaster's situation is different. He elected to remain in uniform rather than retire from military service, and generals of his grade need the chamber's approval when they're promoted or get new assignments.

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