They are not protecting Trump as much as they are protecting HR McMaster. [View all]

[kentuck]

Because they know that Trump wants to get rid of McMaster and get someone a little more malleable, in the style of General Flynn.

They know that Trump is going to screw up and that no one can control what he does or what he says. But General McMaster is the best that they have, and they need him in the position of National Security Adviser. They can find no one any better, even with the recent diarrhea of the mouth in the White House.

Their hope, at present, is to minimize the damage that might be done by the loose cannon in the Oval Office. It is all about damage control.

They cannot afford to lose McMaster under the present circumstances.