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Trump ousts national security adviser Waltz
Trump, in a social media post, said he would nominate Waltz to be the next US ambassador to the United Nations, adding that “he has worked hard to put our nation’s interests first,” Reuters reported.
The retired Army Green Beret and former Republican lawmaker from Florida had faced criticism for mistakenly adding a journalist to a chat group where sensitive military plans were discussed - a political embarrassment likely to feature during confirmation hearings for the UN post.
Rubio will be the first person since Henry Kissinger in the 1970s to hold the positions of secretary of state and national security adviser simultaneously.
“When I have a problem, I call up Marco. He gets it solved,” Trump said at a White House event earlier on Thursday.
A person familiar with the matter said Trump wanted to get to the 100-day mark in his term before firing a cabinet-level official. News of the shake-up on Thursday was so abrupt that State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce learned about it from reporters at a briefing.
The national security adviser is a powerful role that does not require Senate confirmation. Trump had four national security advisers in his first term: Michael Flynn, H.R. McMaster, John Bolton and Robert O’Brien.
The Waltz ouster caps a month of personnel turmoil within Trump’s national security establishment. Since April 1, at least 20 NSC staffers have been fired, the director of the National Security Agency has been dismissed and three high-ranking Pentagon political appointees have been shown the door.