McMaster: ‘Radical Islamic Terrorism’ Not Helpful When Describing Threat

Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster made the comments during his first “all-hands” staff meeting on Thursday, reports The New York Times, quoting people who attended the meeting. They also reported the new adviser, who remains in the active military, wore his Army uniform during the talks.

‘This is very much a repudiation of his new boss’s lexicon and worldview,” William McCants, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and the author of “The ISIS Apocalypse,” told The Times. “McMaster, like Obama, is someone who was in positions of leadership and thought the United States should not play into the jihadist propaganda that this is a religious war.”

McMaster’s comments though, are in direct conflict not only with Trump, but with his predecessor’s, Michael Flynn, who resigned last week while admitting he had misled several officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, about his communications with a Russian diplomat.

McCants said McMaster’s views will be welcomed among the agencies sending recommendations through the National Security Council, as they’ll see him as an “advocate to express dissenting opinions.”

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