Big Shakeup?
White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon has been cut from the Trump administration’s National Security Council in a shakeup orchestrated by President Donald Trump, according to Bloomberg News and an official White House memo. (See updates below.) Newly-appointed National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster appears to have been designated as head of the National Security Council, as is appropriate.
McMaster, who assumed office late last month, reportedly is seeking to remove from her position his Deputy National Security Advisor, controversial former Fox News national security analyst K. T. McFarland. McFarland, who was hired by the now fired Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, reportedly has been offered a state Department job as U.S. Ambassador to Singapore, according to CNN.
Bannon had been named to the National Security Council early on, in a move that drew outrage and concern from many tenured House and Senate lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Bannon, who is also an Assistant to the President, holds largely a political job, not a national security job. Trump effectively had politicized national security by placing Bannon in the key role.
Bannon remains a top Trump advisor.
UPDATE I: 12:00 PM EDT –
Shakeup engineered by H.R. McMaster, not by Trump, according to multiple reports.
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UPDATE II: 12:03 PM EDT –
Washington Post’s Robert Costa Delivering Trump administration’s spin:
UPDATE III: 12:10 PM EDT –
More on why this wasn’t Trump, it was McMaster:
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More to come.
This is a breaking news and developing story. Details may change. This story will be updated, and NCRM will likely publish follow-up stories on this news. Stay tuned and refresh for updates.
Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license