US President-elect Donald Trump has defended his handling of the transition to the White House, amid reports of disarray in his team.
Donald Trump Photo: AFP
Mr Trump tweeted that the process of selecting his new cabinet and other positions was "very organised".
US media say two senior members of the transition team working on national security have been forced out.
I am not trying to get "top level security clearance" for my children. This was a typically false news story.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 16, 2016
He said that contrary to a report in the New York Times, foreign leaders were having no problems getting through to him by phone, including Russia, UK and China.
Australia, New Zealand, and more. I am always available to them. @nytimes is just upset that they looked like fools in their coverage of me.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 16, 2016
Mr Trump's children, from left, Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr and Ivanka Trump, and her husband Jared Kushner, are on the transition team's executive committee. Photo: AFP
Mr Trump has already replaced New Jersey governor Chris Christie with Vice-President-elect Mike Pence as head of his transition team.
Media reports say Mr Trump's son-in-law and close adviser Jared Kushner was behind the change.
Mr Christie was the US Attorney for New Jersey when Mr Kushner's father was tried and jailed in the state for tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions and witness tampering in 2004.
Former Congressman and House intelligence committee chairman Mike Rogers, who was handling national security for the transition, announced on Tuesday that he was leaving.
He and another member of the national security team, Matthew Freedman, were sacked, according to the New York Times.
Mr Rogers is thought to have been close to Mr Christie, while Mr Freedman is said to be a protege of Paul Manafort, Mr Trump's former campaign manager who quit in August.
Mr Trump denied that he had requested security clearances for his children, in order to recruit them as advisers. He did not address whether such clearance had been sought for Mr Kushner, his son-in-law, as reported by NBC News.
Mr Trump is due to be inaugurated as president on 20 January 2017.
