WASHINGTON – Mike who?
National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster on Sunday distanced himself completely from his immediate predecessor Mike Flynn, who pleaded guilty Friday to charges related to the Russia probe.
“That’s not our focus on the National Security Council, obviously,” McMaster told ” Fox News Sunday. ” “What we’re focused on are, you know, the key issues that we have to confront today to protect the American people, advance our prosperity.”
McMaster, who became President Trump’s top national security aide in February when Flynn was pushed out, denied he’s spending any time assuring international allies that the Trump presidency is not in free fall.
“No, I don’t think our allies need any reassurance,” McMaster said. “We haven’t missed a beat, really, and the topic doesn’t even come up.”
Flynn became the fourth Trump official to be indicted in special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing probe into Russia’s influence in the 2016 election.
Flynn , the second to plead guilty to lying to the FBI about his Russian contacts, is cooperating with the feds.
The White House has downplayed the role of Flynn, who was a trusted adviser to Trump during the campaign before coming to the White House.
Trump has maintained there’s no collusion with Russia during the election and Flynn is no criminal compared to Hillary Clinton.
“I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI. He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!,” Trump said in one of his tweets.
Last week, Trump caused an international stir when he tweeted out anti-Muslim videos from a British fringe group, sparking a quick rebuke from Prime Minister Theresa May.
McMaster couldn’t explain why Trump would tweet out such racially charged videos that stirred up racial and religious divisions.
“President Trump is the best judge of why he did that,” McMaster said.
But McMaster said Trump has been trying to shine a light on Islamic terrorism.
The key takeaway, McMaster said, is “the real risks that these terrorists pose to our citizens.”
