K. T. McFarland

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K. T. McFarland
KT McFarland by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Deputy National Security Advisor
Assumed office
January 20, 2017
President Donald Trump
Preceded by Avril Haines
Personal details
Born Kathleen Troia
(1951-07-22) July 22, 1951 (age 65)
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Alan Roberts McFarland
Education

Kathleen Troia "K.T." McFarland (born July 22, 1951) is the Deputy National Security Advisor to United States President Donald Trump. McFarland has served previously as a staff member on the U.S. National Security Council, a staff member at the Defense Department, and as a Fox News national security analyst and a contributor to its opinion page.

Early life[edit]

McFarland was born Kathleen Troia on July 22, 1951, in Madison, Wisconsin. She holds an undergraduate degree from George Washington University.[1][2]

Career[edit]

McFarland's government career began while she was a freshman at George Washington University, working part-time in the White House Situation Room typing the President's Daily Brief.[3] She spent seven years 1970-76 in the West Wing of the White House, working her way up to become a member of Henry Kissinger's National Security Council staff.[4] After the Ford Administration, McFarland studied at Oxford University[3] (BA, MA) in Politics, Philosophy and Economics,[citation needed] and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with concentrations on nuclear weapons, China, and the Soviet Union[3] (study toward PhD, all but dissertation).[citation needed] She returned during the Reagan Administration as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee staff. Then, in President Ronald Reagan's administration, she served as the speechwriter for Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger from 1982 to 1985 and later as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and Pentagon spokesperson.[3]

In 1985, McFarland received the Defense Department's highest civilian award, the Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award.[5]

McFarland was a board member of The Jamestown Foundation from June 2008 until her appointment as Deputy National Security Advisor.[5]

2006 Senate campaign[edit]

Main article: United States Senate election in New York, 2006

In 2006, McFarland ran in the Republican primary in the United States Senate election in New York for a seat then held by Democrat Hillary Clinton.[6]

Embellishment of credentials[edit]

McFarland's candidacy was plagued by media and other allegations that she overstated her credentials. The New York Times reported that McFarland's claim that she had written part of Ronald Reagan's "Star Wars" speech was false and had actually been written by Reagan's "top national security advisers," which did not include McFarland.[7] Regarding her being the highest ranking woman of her time at the Reagan Pentagon, the newspaper reported that this was also false and that two women at the Pentagon at the time held higher ranks.[7]

The New York Times article describes McFarland as "a relatively obscure figure with two intriguing claims to fame: She had worked on President Ronald Reagan's "Star Wars" speech and had been the highest-ranking woman at the Reagan Pentagon. But interviews with former Reagan administration officials and a review of documents show her claims were not entirely accurate."[7]

McFarland was defeated 61 percent to 39 percent in the Republican primary, and her Republican opponent went on to lose 67 percent to 31 percent in the general election.

Trump administration[edit]

On November 25, 2016, it was reported McFarland was selected as President-elect Donald Trump's Deputy National Security Advisor, a position that does not require Senate confirmation.[8][9] Retired general Michael T. Flynn, who served briefly as President Trump's national security adviser, tweeted a welcome to McFarland.[4] On February 14, 2017, Flynn announced his resignation after he became embroiled in controversy regarding discussions he had with Russian officials before his appointment. It had been reported that McFarland would likely also be announcing her resignation,[10] although a subsequent report quoted her as intending to stay on, at the request of President Trump.[11]

McFarland has been highly critical of President Obama's approach to combating terrorism, saying he has not acknowledged the threat that global Islamism poses to Western civilization.[12]

Personal life[edit]

KT McFarland married Alan Roberts McFarland, with whom she has a daughter, in 1984.[13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Eaton, Phoebe (July 3, 2007). "Grand Old Class War". New York. 
  2. ^ Burke, Cathy (June 25, 2006). "Hill Foe 'KT' Outed Her Dying Brother". New York Post. 
  3. ^ a b c d "Ms. Kathleen Troia 'KT' McFarland", USNA Leadership Conference bio, 2010. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
  4. ^ a b "Trump names K.T. McFarland as deputy national security adviser", Fox News, November 25, 2016. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
  5. ^ a b "Jamestown Board Member KT McFarland Named Next Deputy National Security Advisor - Jamestown". Jamestown. Retrieved 2017-02-17. 
  6. ^ "The real story of Kathleen McFarland is much better than the new scandal". 
  7. ^ a b c Hernandez, Raymond (March 23, 2006). "Questions Arise About Résumé of Challenger to Clinton". The New York Times. 
  8. ^ Markon, Jerry; Tumulty, Karen Tumulty & Demirjian, Karoun (November 25, 2016). "Trump Fills White House Counsel and Deputy National Security Posts". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 November 2016. 
  9. ^ Jacobs, Jennifer & Olorunnipa, Toluse (November 25, 2016). "Trump Said to Name McFarland as Deputy National Security Adviser". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved November 25, 2016. 
  10. ^ http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/319383-flynn-deputy-k-t-mcfarland-expected-to-leave-role-report
  11. ^ http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/319455-flynn-deputy-kt-mcfarland-to-remain-in-role
  12. ^ Peters, Jeremy W. & Haberman, Maggie (November 25, 2016). "Donald Trump to Add K.T. McFarland to His National Security Team". The New York Times. Retrieved November 25, 2016. 
  13. ^ Siddhartha Mahanta (December 12, 2016). "K.T. McFarland: A Reagan Veteran in Trumpworld". The Atlantic. 

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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