Trump counters criticism of his national security adviser


              FILE - In this June 12, 2017 file photo, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster attends a Cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington. The president is making a public endorsement of his national security adviser and pushing back against criticism from conservative media. Trump said in a statement that he and aide H.R. McMaster ``are working very well together.” (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
FILE - In this June 12, 2017 file photo, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster attends a Cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington. The president is making a public endorsement of his national security adviser and pushing back against criticism from conservative media. Trump said in a statement that he and aide H.R. McMaster ``are working very well together.” (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) - President Donald Trump is defending national security adviser H.R. McMaster against criticism he's not supportive enough of Israel and is stifling conservative viewpoints.

Trump came out with a public endorsement late Friday - saying that he and McMaster "are working very well together."

The president's statement also said: "I am grateful for the work he continues to do serving our country."

McMaster has come under fire after the recent firing of a White House intelligence adviser who was a protege of Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn.

Critics are accusing McMaster of trying to remove conservative voices from Trump's national security team.

Trump also says McMaster "is a good man and very pro-Israel."

A widely circulated Facebook post by a Jerusalem Post columnist called McMaster "deeply hostile to Israel."

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