KT McFarland — former Fox News commentator and top national security adviser to President Donald Trump — might soon be stepping down to become an ambassador to Singapore, according to Reuters.
The 65-year-old bids adieu to her role as deputy National Security Advisor to Trump after less than three months amidst a shakeup in the National Security Council (NSC) following the resignation of Lieutenant General Michael Flynn in February.
Flynn had been infamously asked to resign in February after it was revealed that he misled senior administration officials about his level of contacts with Russian government officials.
The new National Security Advisor — H.R. McMaster — is quickly reorganising his team, with the biggest highlight being the removal of Stephen Bannon from the principals committee. The controversial figure behind Breitbart News — a publication accused of supporting white nationalists and antisemitism — no longer sits alongside secretaries of state, defense and other ranking aides when advising Trump on pressing security matters.
McFarland was not a good fit at the NSC, according to a person familiar with White House personnel moves who spoke to Bloomberg. It’s unclear when she’ll be leaving, but the veteran political staff member — who previously worked Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan — is awaiting for approval from Singapore, reports AP.
It was in 2010 that she held a regular presence on air as a Fox News Channel analyst on matters of national security, and was highly critical of President Obama’s methods in combatting terrorism. She once published an opinion piece on the Fox News website, suggesting that Russian president Vladimir Putin deserved a Nobel Peace Prize in 2013.
Her appointment by Trump as Deputy National Security Advisor in November 2016 came as a surprise, considering that she had been out of government for three decades. According to Politico, McFarland was a favourite of Trump, who liked her appearances on Fox News and developed a personal connection with her as well.
The last US ambassador to Singapore had been Kirk Wagar, a Florida attorney and Obama fundraiser. He left Singapore in January just hours after Trump’s inauguration — but made sure to don a t-shirt that didn’t hide his support for Trump’s predecessor.
