At least 10 people are reportedly in the running to replace John Bolton

John Bolton.
(Image credit: Sergei Gapon/AFP/Getty Images)

The White House is hoping that when it comes to picking a new national security adviser, the fourth time's a charm.

With former National Security Adviser John Bolton either getting the boot or booting himself on Tuesday, there's now a job opening for President Trump to fill. Several people with knowledge of the matter told CNN on Tuesday night that there are at least 10 people being considered for the role, but because this is Trump, he might go with someone whose name isn't on the list.

One possible choice is Brian Hook, a senior policy adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a special representative for Iran. A person familiar with the matter told CNN Hook is definitely campaigning for the position, and is liked by people in the White House. Another candidate is Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany. He's also been angling for the job, a person with knowledge of the situation told CNN, but he was one of Bolton's allies, and that could disqualify him.

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Retired U.S. Army Col. Douglas Macgregor, a regular on Fox News, is in the running, one person told CNN, as is Jack Keane, a retired four-star general. The only problem with Keane is he has no intention of accepting the offer, a person close to him told CNN; while he is an informal adviser to Trump, he's turned down the Secretary of Defense job twice, and doesn't think they'll even offer him the national security adviser role.

Until a successor is chosen, Bolton's deputy, Charles Kupperman, will serve as acting national security adviser. For more on the rumored replacements, visit CNN.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.