H.R. McMaster dodges questions about whether he can work with Steve Bannon
White House National Security Adviser Gen. H.R. McMaster on Sunday dodged questions about whether he can work with Chief Strategist Steve Bannon.
In an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," McMaster was asked what's going on inside the White House between him and Bannon.
"There's just a lot of noise, from my perspective," McMaster said. "And I think everybody sees the president has assembled a tremendous national security team. And it's a great privilege for me to be able to support and enable people like Secretary of State Tillerson, Secretary of Defense Mattis, (CIA) Director Pompeo, Ambassador Haley at the United Nations. And despite this noise, we're getting quite a bit done in terms of developing and advancing strategies to prioritize the safety and security of the American people and promote American prosperity."
Later in the interview, he was asked if he and Bannon can still work together.
"I get to work together with a broad range of talented people. And it is a privilege every day to enable the national security team," he said.
Asked again, McMaster said, "I am ready to work with anybody who will help advance the president's agenda and advance the security, prosperity of the American people."
But he wouldn't exactly say if Bannon qualifies.
"I believe that everyone who works in the White House, who has the privilege, the great privilege every day of serving their nation, should be motivated by that goal," he said.
The alt-right propaganda website Breitbart, where Bannon was once an executive, has published anti-McMaster headlines in recent days and conservative groups have called for the ouster of McMaster. Earlier this year, Bannon was removed from the Principals Committee of the National Security Council (NSC).
