Secretary of Defense James Mattis brushed off former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn’s Monday resignation to reporters Tuesday.
Flynn resigned in disgrace after reports revealed he lied to Vice President Mike Pence on the nature of his conversations with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. “Frankly, this has no impact,” Mattis told reporters on his way to Belgium for a meeting of defense ministers within the NATO alliance.
“I haven’t changed what I’m heading there for, it doesn’t’ change my message at all, and who’s on the president’s staff is who I will work with so it’s full steam ahead,” Mattis continued.
Mattis and Flynn’s relationship was tenuous at best. One of Mattis’s first tasks as commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in 2010 was to fire Flynn for improperly sharing classified information with Pakistan.
Mattis is also likely to have better relations with Flynn’s replacement. The White House’s reported top choice, retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward, served as his deputy at CENTCOM and enjoys a close working relationship with him.
“There are a handful of good options, but it’s clear he’s at the top of the list,” a senior administration official told Politico Tuesday.
The other reported candidate for the position, retired Army Gen. David Petraeus, also worked extensively with Mattis throughout the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and at the senior levels of the Obama administration. Petraeus’s path to the post, however, is fraught with complications given his current probation for lying to federal authorities about illegally disclosing classified information to his mistress.
The other candidate for the job is retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, an early Trump backer and current interim head of the National Security Council, who also extensively worked in Iraq. Kellogg served as a major figure in the 2004 Coalition Provisional Authority, which served as the government of Iraq until the nationwide elections in 2005. He is currently serving as the interim national security adviser to Trump, was one of Flynn’s deputies in the White House, and is currently 72 years old.
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