Retired Vice-Admiral Robert Harward – President Donald Trump’s choice for national security adviser – has turned down the offer, according to US media reports citing a senior White House source.

Admiral Harward was offered the job after Michael Flynn was fired by Mr Trump earlier this week for misleading Vice-President Mike Pence over his conversations with Russia’s ambassador to the United States.

The Washington Post quoted a senior administration official as saying that Admiral Harward declined the job due to “family considerations” and difficulties in overcoming financial entanglements with defence contractor Lockheed Martin.

He has served as CEO of Lockheed in the United Arab Emirates since 2014.

Admiral Harward, who is close to Defence Secretary General James Mattis, was in negotiations with the White House over bringing some of his own staff to the embattled National Security Council.

Reuters reported that Mr Trump had told Mr Flynn’s deputy, K.T. McFarland, that she could stay.

Mr Trump appeared to refer to Admiral Harward earlier in the day at a presidential news conference, saying: “I have somebody that I think will be outstanding for the position.”

The President also made clear why he asked Mr Flynn to resign, saying it was because the retired Lieutenant-General had not been completely truthful with Mr Pence about his conversations with the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergei Kislyak.

“The thing is, he didn’t tell our Vice-President properly, and then he said he didn’t remember,” Mr Trump said.

“So either way, it wasn’t very satisfactory to me.”

Strong credentials

He also served on the National Security Council under President George W Bush and commissioned the National Counter Terrorism Centre.

Admiral Harward joined Lockheed Martin in 2013 after nearly 40 years in the Navy.

Mr Trump has recently been in very public negotiations with Lockheed over the cost of its F-35 fighter jet.

Officials said earlier this week that there were two other contenders in the running for the job: acting national security adviser Keith Kellogg and retired General David Petraeus.

General Petraeus, a retired four-star general, resigned as CIA director in 2012 and pleaded guilty to one misdemeanour charge of mishandling classified information relating to documents he had provided to his biographer, with whom he was having an affair.

He was also fined $100,000 and remains on probation.

– With wire services