White House taps Charles Kupperman to serve as acting national security adviser

The White House on Tuesday announced that Deputy National Security Adviser Charles Kupperman will serve as acting director of the key intelligence agency following the departure of John Bolton.

Kupperman, 68, has held senior positions in defense contractors Lockheed Martin and Boeing, and served in the administration of former President Reagan in the 1980s.

Trump appointed him to the deputy’s post in January.

White House Spokesman Hogan Gidley made the announcement outside the White House, saying Bolton’s “priorities and policies just don’t line up with” President Trump’s.

“There is no one issue here…they just didn’t align on many issues,” he said.

Trump tweeted Tuesday that he had asked for Bolton’s resignation Monday night and accepted it earlier Tuesday.

Bolton told a different story, saying he offered to resign Monday night and then submitted his resignation Tuesday morning.

Gidley walked away without responding to questions about the conflicting accounts.