McMaster dodges on Bannon question: Administration better off when we ‘can serve the president’

National security adviser H.R. McMaster on Sunday dodged a question about whether the Trump administration is better off without former chief strategist Stephen Bannon.

“The administration is better off when we can serve the president by integrating and coordinating across all of our departments and agencies with our key allies and partners,” McMaster said on “Fox News Sunday.” “And present the president with multiple options and then based on his decisions, to help the president implement these policies that prioritize protecting and advancing the interests of the American people.”

McMaster said it’s important to have an inclusive process and not to try to “manipulate into a particular decision or to advance your own agenda.”

{mosads}”We’re advancing the president’s agenda and we’re advancing policies and strategies that are for the American people,” he said.

McMaster was pressed on whether he thinks Bannon, who has returned to Breitbart News, was trying to advance his own agenda.

“The National Security Council … has served the president well in bringing him multiple options,” he said.

“There were some who tried to operate outside of that process for their own narrow agendas and that didn’t serve the president well.”