President Donald Trump’s pick to replace ousted National Security Adviser Michael Flynn turned down an offer to join the administration after the president’s bizarre news conference on Thursday, several news outlets reported. Vice Adm. Robert Harward, a retired Navy SEAL and former deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, reportedly was offered the job heading the White House National Security Council after Flynn was forced to step down for lying about Russian contacts. Harward is a senior executive at the defense contractor Lockheed Martin. Harward rejected the job because of family commitments and financial concerns, according to a senior administration official. “It’s purely a personal issue,” Harward told The Associated Press, adding that the Trump administration was “very accommodating to my needs, both professionally and personally.”

Source: Huffington Post February 17, 2017 03:35 UTC