Michael Flynn tapped for Trump Cabinet: report

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON

Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn has been tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to be his National Security Advisor, according to multiple reports Thursday.

The Democratic former Defense Intelligence Agency director was offered the job, according to an unnamed Trump official who declined to say whether Flynn accepted.

The post does not require Senate confirmation and is part of the White House.

The announcement comes just hours after Trump met with Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe at his New York self-named Tower. He also met with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley who is in the running to be America's next top diplomat.

Flynn helmed the Defense Department's intelligence arm from 2012 to 2014, but reportedly left after being pushed out of his post concerning disagreements with the White House about the prosecution of the anti-Daesh campaign.

Flynn was one of Trump's closest advisors during the presidential campaign and has been a key asset in forming Trump's security policies during the transition.

He was previously thought to be in the running for defense chief, but a U.S. legal regulation prohibits his appointment due to a requirement that any defense chief be out of the military for seven years before assuming the Pentagon's top spot.

Flynn wrote an article in which he stressed the importance of Turkey's role in the region and advocated for FETO ringleader Fetullah Gulen’s extradition to Turkey. He said the issue was one of the key points of contention between Washington and Ankara.

The announcement comes as executive agencies begin to provide briefing for the president-elect, the earliest of which could begin on Friday.

The Pentagon said in a statement that it expects the first such meeting to take place Friday and that it will do everything it can "to help ensure a seamless and efficient transition".