Trumps next pick for National Security Advisor, Robert Harward, turned the job down. Reportedly he didn't want to serve under the President's choice for the deputy National Security Adviser. Credit:Joe Laws The Trump administration offered the job to Harward on Wednesday. Neither Harward nor the White House commented on the offer on Wednesday. Two sources familiar with the decision said Harward turned down the job in part because he wanted to bring in his own team, Reuters reported. That put him at odds with Trump, who had told Flynn's deputy, K.T. McFarland, that she could stay. News of Harward's decision was first reported by The Financial Times.

US President Donald Trump is reportedly trying to convince Robert Harward to change his mind on the position. Credit:Bloomberg Harward is "conflicted between the call of duty and the obvious dysfunctionality," The Financial Times reported, quoting a person with first-hand knowledge of the discussions between the pair. In his press conference just hours before Harward's decision was revealed, Trump said his decision on a replacement for Flynn had been made easier because he had an "outstanding" person in mind. He did not name the person he was eyeing for the position. Harward, a Rhode Island native who went to school in Tehran before the Shah was toppled in 1979, did a tour on the National Security Council under former Republican President George W. Bush, working on counter-terrorism. He also has combat experience on SEAL teams and served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Harward now works as an executive for defence contractor Lockheed Martin, with responsibility for its business in the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East.

Several former US officials who worked with Harward described him as experienced and smart, but not known for his personal experience with Iran. He is well-liked and respected and seen as unpretentious despite his distinguished military service, according to people who have worked with him. When Harward was a commanding officer in Afghanistan, he was known for making his rounds without full body armour to send a message that Afghanistan was safe, said a US official who worked under Harward there. "He had no ego," the official said, on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak. Trump knew of Flynn's Russia talks weeks ago

Trump was aware that his national security adviser Michael Flynn had misled White House officials and Mike Pence for "weeks" before he was forced to resign on Monday night. Trump was briefed by White House Counsel Don McGahn that Flynn had discussed US sanctions with the Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, despite his claims to the contrary, "immediately" after McGahn was informed about the discrepancy by the Department of Justice, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said in a media briefing. Sally Yates, the acting Attorney-General at the time, and a senior career national security official at the Justice Department had informed McGahn at his office about their concerns on January 26, according to a person familiar with the briefing. Spicer said that the president and a small group of senior aides were briefed by McGahn about Flynn that same day. "We've been reviewing and evaluating this issue with respect to General Flynn on a daily basis for a few weeks, trying to ascertain the truth," Spicer said. The comments appear to contradict the impression given by Trump on Friday aboard Air Force One that he was not familiar with a Washington Post report that revealed that Flynn had not told the truth about the calls.

Separately, the New York Times reported that Pence first learned that Flynn had misled him about the nature of his contact with a Russian official on February 9, a full two weeks after other White House officials were briefed on the matter, according to an aide to Pence said on Tuesday. The timing indicates that Pence would have become aware of the controversy around the same time that a Washington Post report was published, detailing the degree to which Flynn had been in contact with the Russian ambassador to the United States on the issue of sanctions, Pence spokesman Marc Lotter said. Loading In discussing Trump's awareness about Flynn's statements, the White House Counsel's office conducted a "review" of the legal issues and determined that "there was not a legal issue but rather a trust issue," Spicer said. "The President was very concerned that General Flynn had misled the Vice President and others. The President must have complete and unwavering trust of the person in that position." Fairfax Media with Reuters, The Washington Post