By KEN THOMAS | April 16, 2018 5:32 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence’s choice to be his new national security adviser has withdrawn from consideration after President Donald Trump got wind of the plan to hire someone associated with anti-Trump ads in the past.
The White House said Jon Lerner, an adviser to the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, withdrew from the proposed dual role with the vice president. Alyssa Farah, a Pence spokeswoman, said Lerner informed Pence on Sunday night that he was withdrawing and Pence accepted his decision.
Farah said Pence holds Lerner “in the highest regard and expressed his deep gratitude for Jon’s willingness to consider joining our team.”
Lerner is a longtime Republican strategist and pollster who advised Haley’s campaigns for South Carolina governor. He also worked with the Club for Growth, which aired ads critical of Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump’s push to block Lerner’s appointment was first reported by Axios.
As president, Trump has bristled at Republicans who opposed him during the GOP primaries and pushed back against the hiring of foreign policy experts who were critical of him during his Republican campaign.
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