Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump has offered retired Army Lt Gen Michael Flynn, who has said he is “at war with” the “cancer” of Islam, the role of the national security advisor, a transition official said.
However, it was not immediately clear if Flynn accepted the post, the official told CNN on Thursday.
Flynn, 57, was a top adviser and high-profile surrogate to Trump during his campaign, introducing the President-elect at rallies and serving as a top cheerleader on his hyper-active Twitter feed.
However, the retired general has a long history of controversial remarks and was fired as President Barack Obama’s director of the Defence Intelligence Agency in 2014.
Flynn has said Islam is a “political ideology based on a religion,” which he believes “the American Founding Fathers wanted nothing to do with,” and he’s even called it a cancer.
However, US officials said Flynn was pushed out because of his contentious management style.
Flynn’s Twitter feed — regularly updated with pro-Trump comments — is another source of potential scrutiny. Flynn apologised in July after retweeting a message that bashed Jewish people.
First created in the early days of the Cold War, the job of national security advisor is seen as critical to implementing a President’s worldview on the various departments and agencies involved in national security.
Famous national security advisers who made a major impact on American foreign policy have included Henry Kissinger, Zbigniew Brzezinski and Brent Scowcroft.
Susan Rice is the current national security advisor.
IANS