Robert Harward turns down Trump's national security adviser offer

US President Donald Trump's choice for national security adviser, retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward, has turned down the job offer a senior White House official said on Thursday.

Harward was offered the job after Michael Flynn was fired by Trump on Monday for misleading Vice President Mike Pence over his conversations with Russia's ambassador to the United States.

A White House official said Harward cited family and financial commitments for not taking up the job, but two sources familiar with the decision said the sticking point was he wanted to bring in his own team.

Trump had told Flynn's deputy, K.T. McFarland, that she could stay, according to Reuters news agency.

The latest setback emerged hours after Mr Trump robustly denied media reports of White House disarray, insisting his administration was running like a "fine-tuned machine".

Harward told the Associated Press the Trump administration was "very accommodating to my needs, both professionally and personally".

"It's purely a personal issue," added the 60-year-old former Navy Seal who is currently based in Abu Dhabi as an executive for US defence contractor Lockheed Martin.

Asked about reports that he had asked to bring in his own staff at the National Security Council, Harward said: "I think that's for the president to address."