WASHINGTON -- Vice Adm. Robert Harward, in turning down an offer to be President Donald Trump's new national security adviser, called it a "purely a personal issue."
Harward said the Trump administration was "very accommodating to my needs, both professionally and personally."
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"I'm in a unique position finally after being in the military for 40 years to enjoy some personal time," Harward said Thursday evening.
Asked whether he had requested to bring in his own staff at the National Security Council, Harward said, "I think that's for the president to address."
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After retired Gen. Michael Flynn's ouster, administration officials said his deputy, K.T. McFarland, was staying on at the National Security Council. McFarland is a former Fox News analyst.
Harward would have replaced Flynn, who resigned at Trump's request Monday after revelations that he misled Vice President Mike Pence about discussing sanctions with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. during the transition. Trump said in a news conference Thursday that he was disappointed by how Flynn had treated Pence, but did not believe Flynn had done anything wrong by having the conversations.
Harward, a former Navy SEAL, served as deputy commander of U.S. Central Command under Gen. James Mattis, who is now defense secretary. Harward served on the National Security Council under President George W. Bush and commissioned the National Counter Terrorism Center.
Upon retirement in 2013 after a nearly 40-year career in the Navy, Harward became chief executive officer for defense and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin in the United Arab Emirates. Trump has recently been in negotiations with Lockheed over the cost of its F-35 fighter jet.
Officials said earlier this week that there were two other contenders in the running for the job: acting national security adviser Keith Kellogg and retired Gen. David Petraeus.
Trump plans to meet with candidates for the post this weekend while at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., an administration official said.
Trump said Friday on Twitter that Kellogg "is very much in play" to get the post, as are three others he didn't name. Kellogg has been aboard Air Force One with Trump as the president travels to South Carolina and Florida.
Petraeus, a retired four-star general, resigned as CIA director in 2012 and pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified information relating to documents he had provided to his biographer, with whom he was having an affair.
He was also fined $100,000 and remains on probation.
Information for this article was contributed by Jennifer Jacobs of Bloomberg News.
A Section on 02/18/2017