McMaster's White House Exit May Be Near: Report

Could HR McMaster be the next figure to leave the White House? It's possible, according to CNN, reporting on "months of personal tension" between the national security adviser and President Trump. Six defense and administration officials tell the network the strained relationship is enough that the Pentagon is looking at moving the three-star general back into a military role, perhaps with a promotion to four-star general. Some say Trump might force McMaster to retire. One source says Trump feels he's "condescending," though White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Tuesday that Trump "still has confidence" in the general.

Days earlier, however, the president appeared to upbraid McMaster in a tweet referencing comments he made about Russian interference in the election. McMaster "forgot to say that the results of the 2016 election were not impacted or changed by the Russians and that the only Collusion was between Russia and Crooked H, the DNC, and the Dems," Trump said. McMaster told reporters last month he planned "to go as long and hard as I can in service of the president," per the Hill. Though far from certain, his exit from the White House would require the appointment of a third national security adviser in a little over a year. McMaster previously replaced Michael Flynn. (More HR McMaster stories.)