WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee says the panel has overwhelmingly approved of Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster’s shift to the White House to be President Donald Trump’s national security adviser.
Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona spoke to reporters Tuesday after the committee met with McMaster behind closed doors to discuss his shift from a military assignment to one of the most important in U.S. government.
The committee’s approval sets up a vote in the full Senate on McMaster’s rank.
National security advisers aren’t subject to Senate confirmation and typically don’t testify on Capitol Hill. But McMaster elected to stay on active duty rather than retire from the military, and generals of his grade need the chamber’s approval when they’re promoted or get new assignments.