A little over a month ago, the retired lieutenant-general, HR McMaster, received an unexpected call on his personal cell, four sources told CBS News. It was from the White House and he was informed by the voice at the other end of the president.
McMaster, who had been national security advisor during President Trump’s first term and was ousted After 13 months, Trump was surprised to hear.
One day earlier, on March 2, Trump launched his last insult to McMaster, exploding him on social networks as a “weak and completely ineffective losing”. McMaster had also just appeared on “60 minutes” of CBS, where he expressed skepticism about Mr. Trump openings to the Russian president Vladimir Putin and Putin’s desire to end the War in Ukraine.
“Henry …” This is how Trump opened the call before embarking on the conversation, according to two sources which were not allowed to discuss private conversations.
It was then that McMaster knew that this familiar voice was indeed Mr. Trump. But he also achieved something else: the commander -in -chief had not intended to call him at all.
McMaster goes through HR, abbreviated for Herbert Raymond. Not Henry.
“Mr. President, it’s HR McMaster,” he said on the phone.
“Why would the F *** be talking” to HR McMaster? Asked Trump, then Trump embarked on a scathing criticism of his former assistant, two sources said.
The call was brief.
Two sources told CBS News that the president intended to call the Governor of South Carolina, Henry McMaster, not his former national security advisor.
We do not know who is responsible for composing the bad McMaster. According to a person familiar with the call, the call was made by an assistant who works with the president.
A White House official refused to discuss the president’s private calls or if a telephone conversation has taken place.
In a press release, the director of communications for the White House, Steven Cheung, criticized the former national security advisor.
“HR MCMaster has completely plotten itself and its third -order book, which is now sold in the bac at the fictional section of a reduced bookstore, is filled with lies in a futile attempt to rehabilitate its reputation in tatters,” said Cheung.
HR McMaster, a contributor to CBS News, refused to comment.
McMaster was frank on Trump’s opinions on Poutine And how he believes that the Russian leader “played on the ego and Trump’s insecurity with flattery”, as he wrote in his recent memories, “at war with ourselves”.
March 3 telephone call came several days before Editor -in -chief of the Atlantic Jeffrey Goldberg was wrongly added to a group cat with the best national security advisers of Trump who included a discussion Sensitive information on US military strikes in Yemen.
The current national security advisor, Mike Waltztold Fox News that he was taking “full responsibility” for the group’s cat episode.
Arden Farhi contributed to this report.
Margaret Brennan
