Competing factions and a general perception of dysfunction are making the never-easy search for a White House national security adviser unusually difficult.

As President Donald Trump prepares to interview more candidates this weekend, accepting the influential policy-making post that oversees a policy staff of hundreds is now widely considered a high-risk gambit, according to current and former government officials and longtime veterans of the National Security Council.


Trump will be forced to "sweeten the deal," predicted one former Republican NSC official, in order to enlist a high-caliber replacement following the resignation of retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn — especially after retired Adm. Robert Harward turned down Trump’s offer to replace him.

Harward, who did not respond to a request for comment, put out a statement Thursday citing personal reasons for his decision. But several sources familiar with his thinking said he also didn’t get sufficient assurances that he would have control of his staff and policy autonomy over Trump’s close-knit group of political advisers.

Those advisers are led by former Breitbart CEO Steve Bannon, Trump’s chief strategist, whom he elevated to the National Security Council in a departure from past practice. Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has also been granted a broad portfolio, including over Middle East affairs. But how he fits into the NSC structure is unclear.

"I would want to know that I had direct, unimpeded access to the president whenever I felt it was necessary," said Nicholas Rostow, who served as the top legal adviser to both Colin Powell and Brent Scowcroft when they held the post under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, respectively.

Retired Gen. David Petraeus, whom Trump initially interviewed for secretary of State, appears to be out of the running. | Getty

"Historically that job has been one step removed from domestic politics, and the national security adviser and his or her staff have always prided themselves on looking at things through the prism of the national interest — and therefore slightly less political than other positions," added Rostow, who now teaches political science at Colgate University.

A former high-ranking national security official in the George W. Bush administration, citing the perils of navigating Trump's dueling power centers, was far more blunt about the challenges awaiting Trump's would-be national security adviser: "No serious person would take that job. It’s a recipe for disaster.”

Trump said Friday that he is considering retaining retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who was Flynn's chief of staff and the NSC executive secretary before being tapped to serve as acting national security adviser. But he said he also has at least three other candidates in mind.

Kellogg, like Flynn, was also an early adviser and surrogate for candidate Trump, giving him a crucial advantage should be asked to stay on permanently.

“General Keith Kellogg, who I have known for a long time, is very much in play for NSA — as are three others,” Trump tweeted.

An administration official later told reporters Trump plans to meet with some of them this weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla.

Several other retired military leaders appear to be under consideration, according to multiple sources in touch with the White House.

But retired Gen. David Petraeus, whom Trump initially interviewed for secretary of State, appears to be out of the running.

“General Petraeus has tremendous respect for the new incoming Administration and NSC staff. General Petraeus never lobbied for the job, at any point. His advice and counsel were sought, by numerous entities, which he presented. General Petraeus has been and remains supportive of this President and his team," a Petraeus adviser said.

Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for retired Gen. Jim Jones, who served as former President Barack Obama's first national security adviser and is seen by some close observers as a dark horse, said he would consider an offer.

President Donald Trump said Friday that he is considering retaining retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who was Michael Flynn's chief of staff. | Getty

“He’d be honored to be considered for such a prestigious position, as he knows the importance that the role holds," said Gillian Turner, vice president for external communications at Jones’ consulting firm, Jones Group International. "But we’ve not been in touch with the [White House] about this."

Other possible contenders put forward by knowledgeable sources include former NSC official Fran Townsend and former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton, who both served under George W. Bush.

But finding the right fit could be exceedingly challenging for Trump.

"The president has set up overlapping responsibilities," said Peter Feaver, who served on George W. Bush's National Security Council.

While the national security adviser will have formal responsibilities over a panoply of issues, he added, "you are sharing actual responsibility and authority with other players who are more free to operate than you. That makes it especially challenging."

Compounding the challenge, Feaver said, is the fact that many leading Republican national security and foreign policy figures who might be quality candidates publicly criticized Trump's candidacy — and are unlikely to be forgiven anytime soon.

"Their pool of people to draw from is much smaller because the way so many of the Republican team came out explicitly against the candidate," said Feaver, who was among them.

Brian McKeon, who was the NSC's executive secretary for national security advisers Tom Donilon and Susan Rice during the Obama administration, stressed that most new administrations have a rocky start.

And nearly every president since the National Security Council was established in 1947 went through multiple national security advisers, which by definition is one of the most demanding jobs in Washington.

"Every White House in the early months goes through growing pains," McKeon said.

Nevertheless, this situation seems different, he said.

"Those elements seem to be quite magnified. The national security adviser who wants to accept it is coming into a tough place because there seems to be this set of advisers around the president. It is not just Mr. Bannon. Mr. Kushner has his own issues he is working on and is not clear how he is coordinating with the NSC staff."

A senior Trump administration national security official said overcoming the factionalized nature of the West Wing could be nearly impossible without significant management changes.

“The obvious question will be whether whoever takes this can select their own staff,” said the senior official, who spoke only on the condition he not be named for fear of retribution. "The question that has to be asked given all of the turmoil there, and the sense that there is a lot of backbiting there and backstabbing, is can they be sure they will have direct access to the president, and not to be second guessed by Steve Bannon?”

Bannon and Kushner also have a strong personal connection to the president — perhaps the most important element in the success of a national security adviser.

If he or she "didn't forge a bond with the president in the same way Gen. Flynn has, they are going to be starting with some deficit to begin with," McKeon said.

Feaver agreed on the enormous value of having the trust and confidence of the president.

A spokeswoman for retired Gen. Jim Jones said he would consider an offer. | Getty

"It is hard to find someone who can score well in all the dimensions to do the job," he said. "To do this job you have to interact multiple times a day with the president. You have to work well with him or her. You have to be capable enough to manage the egos of the Cabinet, the 600-pound gorillas."

Another problem is the deteriorating morale on the NSC staff, many of whom are career government employees, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge who portray an organization in disarray.

“People are so overwhelmed," said one distraught former official who recently stepped down from the NSC and spoke on condition of anonymity. "They’re all in survival mode. Everyone is expecting to get fired any minute."

The source said those responsible for regional issues like Europe and Middle East are the only ones preparing briefing reports and other material for Trump’s phone calls and visits with world leaders.

“Plenty of people are sitting at their desks staring at blank screens," the former official added. “Right now it is apocalyptic. These are people who have been doing this for years who are professionals and who know how the system works. And now there is this complete lack of competence and understanding of the system and complete lack of desire to learn it, if not outright hostility.”

Then there is the simple reality that Trump has virtually no national security or foreign policy experience.

"This president more than most will have a learning curve," Rostow said. "The job is hard enough enough as it is."

Eliana Johnson, Michael Crowley and Josh Meyer contributed to this report.