Donald mulls next NSA amid issues over autonomy

West Palm Beach: President Donald Trump may do another round of interviews for the position of national security adviser with new or existing candidates on Monday as he scrambles to fill the post following the ouster of Michael Flynn.

Mr Trump interviewed four finalists on Sunday and may meet with some of them again on Monday, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.

White House officials made clear on Sunday that the new adviser would have autonomy over staffing decisions, an issue that has been reported to have thwarted some other candidates. The President interviewed acting adviser Keith Kellogg, former US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster and Lieutenant General Robert Caslen at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

“We may have some additional meetings and names tomorrow,” Ms Sanders said in Florida.  The NSA is one of the most senior jobs, holding influence over US foreign policy across the globe. Mr Trump has added Steve Bannon, his chief White House strategist, as a regular attendee of NSC meetings.

Strategists have not typically been among NSC participants and Mr Bannon’s addition has drawn criticism because of his previous role heading website Breitbart News.