Robert Harward turns down Trump's offer to replace Flynn

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last updated 17 February 2017

Robert Harward confirmed Thursday night he did not accept President Trump's offer to become his next national security adviser.

Harward, a retired vice admiral who once served as deputy commander of U.S. Central Command and is now a senior executive at Lockheed Martin, told The Associated Press it was "purely a personal issue. I'm in a unique position finally after being in the military for 40 years to enjoy some personal time."

The Financial Times broke the story earlier in the day that Harward declined Trump's job offer, with a person close to Harward saying he was "conflicted between the call of duty and the obvious dysfunctionality." Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser, resigned on Monday after it was reported that he lied about discussing sanctions with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. and that the Justice Department had warned the White House Flynn could be subject to Russian blackmail.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.