New National Security adviser H.R. McMaster will have full authority to build out his team, but the White House is excited about having the highly decorated and respected lieutenant general on board, Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Tuesday.
"This is a guy who is used to leading," Sanders said of McMaster during Fox News' "Happening Now" program. "He has Gen. [Keith] Kellogg there to bring him up to speed on the things that are going on. I think the president gave him full authority and trusts in him to build out the best team he needs."
McMaster's appointment has received bipartisan praise, noted Sanders, and "across the board, people are excited to have him here."
Also on Tuesday, Sanders said the White House is still attempting to discover the person or persons behind who has been leaking information to the news media, and the White House and President Donald Trump are taking the matter seriously.
She also commented on a New York Times report that many career professionals in the White House are feeling as if they're being shut out of potential areas of expertise and blamed for the leaks.
"I rarely use The New York Times as a credible source," she said. "The White House and we take national security seriously. He has the best leader for the position, and as we have him in place and taking an active role, he will answer those concerns."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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