H.R. McMaster Chosen As New National Security Adviser

President Donald Trump announced Monday that Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster would be his new national security adviser. Trump made the announcement at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach.

Lt. Gen Keith Kellogg, who had been serving as acting national security adviser will be the council's chief of staff. McMaster was on the shortlist for the post along with four other candidates who Trump interviewed in Florida. Trump's first choice for the post, retired Vice Adm. Robert Hayward, had turned down the position.

McMaster is known as a respected military strategist.

The announcement comes after Gen. Michael Flynn resigned last week amid revelations that he had misled officials about communication he had with the Russian ambassador regarding sanctions. As pressure was mounting on Flynn's resignation, the White House sent mixed signals, with Kellyanne Conway saying on MSNBC that the president had full confidence in Flynn and shortly afterwards Flynn announced his resignation.

At a press conference Thursday with Israeli P.M. Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said he thought Flynn had been treated very unfairly by the media and what happened to him was "very, very unfair."

Flynn's resignation came only shortly after the Washington Post published an incendiary report. It found that the Department of Justice had warned the administration at the end of January that the then-national security adviser had misrepresented the nature of his communications with Russia, noting that he could be subject to blackmail by the Kremlin.

This report will be updated.

Cody Fenwick contributed to this report.

Image Credit: White House Pool