Report: White House Preparing to Replace McMaster

The White House is getting ready to replace national security adviser H.R. McMaster, who could be out of the White House as early as next month, according to NBC News. The move is being coordinated by White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Defense Secretary James Mattis, the outlet reported. Stephen Biegun, the vice president for International Governmental Affairs at Ford Motor Company, is reportedly the “leading candidate” for the job. Biegun was on the National Security Council staff from 2001 to 2003, and served as a senior staffer to then-national security adviser Condoleezza Rice. Rice connected Biegun and Mattis, who reportedly determined the Ford executive would be a good fit for the role. Biegun would be Trump’s third national security adviser. Last year, McMaster replaced Michael Flynn, who resigned after 24 days in office. This comes after a string of recent departures and staff shake-ups, most recently the announcement that White House Communications Director Hope Hicks would be leaving in the coming months.