The Knives Are Out for Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster

[TomCADem]

Source: Foreign Policy

Inside the White House, opponents of Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, President Donald Trump’s second national security advisor, want him out. This week, they’ve made their campaign against him public, leaking to reporters details about the rocky relationship he has with his boss and trying to paint him as someone hellbent on overseas nation-building projects that are doomed to fail. The timing isn’t accidental. The effort to damage McMaster comes as the Trump administration decides what its policy should be in Afghanistan, a debate that’s pitting McMaster against Steve Bannon, Trump’s chief strategist.

“McMaster is pushing this Afghanistan policy through. I think some people are giving him the rope to get it through, hoping he hangs himself with it,” one senior intelligence official said.

* * *
The first story aimed at weakening McMaster came Sunday from blogger Mike Cernovich, whose reporting has served as a conduit for the alt-right wing of the White House to air its grievances and get ahead of policies it doesn’t like. Cernovich has pushed conspiracy theories and threatened to smear members of the Trump White House if Bannon is ever removed. Still, the White House has given him press credentials, and he attended a White House briefing last month.

In a May 7 blog post, Cernovich suggested McMaster had become too big for his britches and that Trump intended to put him in his place at a meeting between the two on Monday. Trump’s daily schedule for Monday included a meeting with McMaster at 10 a.m. in the Situation Room.

Read more: http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/05/09/the-knives-are-out-for-hr-mcmaster-trump-bannon-nsc/

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Trump was apparently upset that McCaster contradicted Trump's assertion that South Korea would pay for the THAAD missle system. Some see this as a power play by Bannon.

[underpants]

1. This smells of paranoia

Comey and McMaster.

[TomCADem]

3. Third National Security Advisor In Less Than 6 Months...

...the night of the long knives indeed.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. As Malcolm Nance would say, "target is getting buggy". It's usually a self-incriminating tell. . nt

[Hortensis]

14. This smells of purging good sense and moderation to me,

and, agree, some fanning of presidential paranoia seems really likely also. After all, McMaster is an enemy inside the WH of the bannonism and Alex Jonesism Rump has an affinity for. Chief of Staff Priebus is also opposing him.

For the Washington establishment, President Donald Trump's decision to make General H.R. McMaster his national security adviser in February was a masterstroke. Here is a well-respected defense intellectual, praised by both parties, lending a steady hand to a chaotic White House. The grown-ups are back.

Unfortunately, as Eli Lake's article suggests, it may be that this "grown-up" failed to do his homework on how to deal with people with mental disorders. He could at least have done a better job at trying to butter up the boss.

[Best_man23]

2. If they out McMaster

God help us all. Because its likely Mattis will be next.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

4. Typical tRump (not so) smart move: Make circle firing squad vs staff & shoot yourself (Comey firing)

As if they aren't busy enough covering up and impeding the huge yuge #TrumpRussia investigation.

How many high placed people can they fire in a week? This is only Tuesday.

[Dustlawyer]

6. Muddy the waters with another distraction!

[keithbvadu2]

7. Remember Trump said he was smarter than the generals

Remember Trump said he was smarter than the generals

Any failures are Trump's, not the generals.

[roamer65]

8. Cernovich is a fucking traitor.

[Leghorn21]

9. Dumbfuck's just mad because Lt. Gen. McMaster has a Purple Heart he earned all by himself.

He's also squared away, professional, no-nonsense and sharp as hell.

FU traitor.

[roamer65]

10. I wonder what the Joint Chiefs are up to tonite.

[radical noodle]

11. trump never wanted "advisors"

He wants people who will do his bidding and make excuses for those him.

[lindysalsagal]

12. Everything's going so well!

Melting down exactly as a fRump "administration" would be expected to. Does "morass" fit the bill?

[DeminPennswoods]

13. You don't get 3 stars without

being good at knife fights and winning them.

[lastlib]

15. Sounds like it could be a Night of Long Knives.............