Vice President Mike Pence got into the Valentine’s Day spirit, the White House commented on Gen. Michael Flynn’s resignation yesterday and Trump is already looking for a replacement for Flynn. Here’s a rundown of what happened and why it matters.
Mike Pence buys wife a Valentine’s Day present
Pence was spotted doing some Valentine’s Day shopping Tuesday morning at a Whole Foods in Washington, D.C.
People on Twitter shared photos of Pence carrying a bouquet of red roses and a vase of pink and white flowers.
“While grocery shopping for our family, hubby sees @VP shopping for his Valentine @WholeFoods. Hope my husband follows the Veep’s lead,” jorunalist Greta Brawner tweeted.
Pence responded to Brawner’s tweet, “Don’t ruin the surprise. Ready to share our 34th Valentine’s Day with my valentine, Karen.”
Mike Pence and his wife, Karen Pence, have been married since 1985.
White House weighs in on Flynn resignation
White House press secretary addressed the Flynn resignation at a White House press briefing Tuesday.
Flynn resigned late Monday evening after Trump asked for his resignation after Trump expressed he had lost trust in the adviser because he misled Pence about calls with the Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, according to CNN.
CNN reported the Department of Justice was also concerned about the calls.
“Immediately after the Department of Justice notified the White House counsel of the situation, the White House counsel briefed the President and a small group of senior advisers,” White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said.
Spicer said Flynn had done nothing illegal, however, he had lost the president’s trust in an intensifying drama that has focused scrutiny on Trump’s handling of the issue and his ties with Moscow.
“The level of trust between the President and Gen. Flynn had eroded to the point where he felt he had to make a change,” Spicer told reporters. “The President was very concerned that Gen. Flynn had misled the vice president and others.”
White House seeks Flynn replacement
After Flynn’s resignation Monday night, Trump selected Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as acting national security adviser. However, CNN reported that Kellogg is one of three candidates in the running to fill the position permanently.
The other candidates are Gen. David Petraeus and former Vice Admiral Bob Harward. Harward is considered the top contender, according to a CNN source.
Harward grew up in Iran, where his father was a naval officer and graduated from the Tehran American School.
Harward also joined the Navy. He served on both East and West coal SEAL teams and took a tour in the White House under Obama. There, he worked with the National Security Council and served as deputy commander of United States Central Command during the Obama administration. Since retiring from the military, he has worked as an executive in Lockheed Martin UAE.
Interim national security adviser Kellogg is a former lieutenant general in the Army who retired and went on to serve in the Trump administration. He worked directly under Flynn as the council’s chief of staff for less than a month before the controversy over Flynn’s contact with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
The final candidate, Petraeus, is another former military man who served under the Obama administration. He was one of the key figures to organize the United State’s counterinsurgency approach to conflict in the Middle East. He became popular for spearheading the military surge in Iraq to curb heightened violence in the late 2000s, according to CNN.
Petraeus also worked in the CIA but resigned from his position after an extramarital affair with a biographer came to light. A justice department investigation accused Petraeus of sharing classified information with the woman he was having an affair with. He pleaded guilty and agreed to serve two years probation and pay a $100,000 fine.
If chosen to be national security adviser, Petraeus would still be under probation until April.
