Bannon dropped from security council
— President Donald Trump on Wednesday removed controversial White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon from the National Security Council, part of a sweeping staff reshuffling that elevated key military and intelligence officials to greater roles on the council and left Bannon far less involved in shaping the administration’s day-to-day national security policy.
Two senior White House officials claimed Bannon’s departure was in no way a demotion and he had rarely attended meetings since being placed on the council.
Bannon’s place on the committee had been a subject of intense controversy when the move was announced in January. National security experts characterized it as an elevation of a White House official with no national security experience, while other national security officials were included on the NSC only when “issues pertaining to their responsibilities and expertise” were involved. The White House later added the director of the CIA to the NSC.
One of the officials said Bannon was put on the council early in the administration to guide and keep watch over then-national security adviser Michael Flynn, who was tasked with reshaping the operation.
That official and a second official said Bannon did this from afar, attending one or two meetings of the group.
The move followed days of discussions with top aides, including Bannon, about the scope of the adviser’s role moving forward and comes as Flynn’s successor H.R. McMaster — a three-star army general and more traditional voice on security policy — has fully taken control of the council and its operations.
It is the latest departure in the senior ranks of the White House. Last week, deputy chief of staff Katie Walsh left her post to take on a new role in a pro-Trump outside group and Flynn was ousted in February after it was revealed he misled Vice-President Mike Pence about his contacts with the Russian ambassador during the transition.
McMaster has become a rising and blunt force within the White House and has made clear to several top officials and the president that he does not want the NSC to have any political elements.
Bannon retains his title and position and remains a confidant of the president, while working closely with other advisers on domestic and foreign policy.