(RNN) - President Donald Trump has decided to remove Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as his national security adviser, The Washington Post and CNN reported.
CNN reported it has not happened yet because of ongoing deliberations about where McMaster would next serve and who would replace him. McMaster is still active duty and would need a new military assignment.
Two sources tell CNN that President Trump is ready to replace HR McMaster as national security adviser. One source tells @GloriaBorger any delay is because McMaster is trying to nail down his next move.
— Shimon Prokupecz (@ShimonPro) March 16, 2018
The rumored replacement is John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from August 2005 to December 2006, and current Fox News commentator.
Bolton also is associated with the American Enterprise Institute and the Washington, DC law firm Kirland & Ellis. He’s also the chairman of the organization for the Gatestone Institute, a conservative think tank.
Bolton is also against many of Trump's foreign policy views, but was seen the White House last week. Trump has often praised Bolton's commentary on Fox News.
McMaster's exit comes amid a wave of high-level departures, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, National Economic Council director Gary Cohn and communications director Hope Hicks.
McMaster and Trump's relationship has strained in recent weeks. Last month the president publicly chided his adviser on Twitter.
At a security conference in Germany in mid-February McMaster called proof of Russian interference in the 2016 election "now incontrovertible" following indictments by special counsel Robert Mueller of 13 Russian individuals and three companies in the case.
The president has consistently downplayed the extent and impact of the Russian operation, and following McMaster's remarks in Germany tweeted: "General McMaster forgot to say that the results of the 2016 election were not impacted by the Russians and that the only Collusion was between Russia and Crooked H, the DNC and the Dems."
General McMaster forgot to say that the results of the 2016 election were not impacted or changed by the Russians and that the only Collusion was between Russia and Crooked H, the DNC and the Dems. Remember the Dirty Dossier, Uranium, Speeches, Emails and the Podesta Company!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 18, 2018
Multiple reports said the two had always struggled to develop a comfortable rapport. McMaster's direct, unsparing demeanor was said to clash with the president's more unfettered style.
Trump announced McMaster as his national security adviser on Feb. 20, 2017. He replaced Michael Flynn, who resigned after just 24 days on the job when it came to light he'd lied about his contacts with Russian officials during the 2016 campaign.
He became an authoritative voice for the administration on foreign policy and military matters, outlining a vision for the White House on matters such as taking a tough stance with Iran and playing an assertive role in Syria.
McMaster was the former commander of the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning.
"I'd just like to say what a privilege it is to be able to continue serving our nation," McMaster said at the time of his appointment. "I am grateful to (the president) for that opportunity, and I look forward to joining the national security team and doing everything I can to advance and protect the interests of the American people."
McMaster reportedly was not Trump's first choice. The president had planned to offer the job to Adm. Robert Harward, but he turned it down.
McMaster has a decorated record of military service, largely in Iraq, in the original Gulf War in the early '90s and again after the 2003 invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.
He wrote the 1997 book called Dereliction of Duty: Johnson, McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies that Led to Vietnam, which was highly critical of the U.S. leadership.
He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1984 and earned a PhD. in military history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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