UPDATE 8:35am EST: Reuters has reported that Flynn has officially accepted the position.
On Thursday, President-elect Donald Trump offered the position of national security advisor to retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. Flynn, who served as the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) from 2012-2014 and has advised Trump on national security matters over the past few months, has yet to officially accept the offer. AP was the first to break the story after receiving the information via a source working within the Trump transition team who wished to remain anonymous as they were not authorized to speak about the matter.
Flynn, who is in his late 50’s, has been known to be a controversial figure for his insistence on curbing political correctness, much like the President-elect himself. Flynn’s positions on issues such as the Iran Deal and combating terrorism closely align with the policies Trump has advocated for on the campaign trail. If he chooses to accept, Flynn’s role in the new administration would be to advise Trump on the day-to-day foreign and military affairs.
The retired 3 star general and 33 year Army veteran was relieved of his position as DIA director by “censors” in the Obama Administration after testifying to a congressional committee “that we were not as safe as we had been a few years back.” While Flynn insists that was the reason for his departure from the position, U.S. officials have said that it was because of his “contentious management style.”
With Flynn being a man known to ruffle some feathers, it is lucky for President-elect Trump that position of National Security Advisor does not require Senate confirmation. The role was first created during the cold war and has been held by historic figures such as Henry Kissinger, Zbigniew Brzezinski and Brent Scowcroft. The current national security advisor to President Obama is Susan Rice.
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